Duo BARAZZ consists of the saxophonist Dorthe Højland and the organist Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir. The two musicians are grounded in two different styles of music: Lára’s great passion is the BARoque style, while Dorthe is committed to jAZZ-of this the duo-name BARAZZ. Combining the two worlds with Lára’s and Dorthe’s musical approaches, unexpected and magical things happen. After many years of playing concerts in Iceland and Denmark the duo has developed its own sound: a bit of baroque, a bit of jazz, a bit of mystery, a bit of cultural heritage. So,to put it briefly: A little bit of everything!
The Icelandic Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir completed her soloist diploma from the National Church School of Musicin Iceland under the guidance of Hörður Áskelsson. She moved back to Icelandin 2018 after living in Denmark for 10 years. There she pursued further studies (Cand. Mus.) in church music at the Aarhus Royal Academy of Music, as well as holding the position of organist at Sønderbro Church in Horsens and principal harpsichordist of the professional baroque ensemble BaroqueAros in Aarhus. Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir is since April 2022 organist at Grafarvogskirkja in Reykjavík, the largest congregation in Iceland.
The Danish Dorthe Højland received her degree in saxophone performance and pedagogy from The Academy of Music in Aalborg, Denmark, and has studied saxophone and composition with award-winning soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom in New York who wrote: “She is a serious performer and a composer as well as one who approaches improvisation with a deep thoughtfulness and passion”. Dorthe is the leader of her own group, Dorthe Højland Group, and she plays as well with the Danish veteran jazz bassist Bo Stief, Højland-Stief-Højland, and the saxophone quartet SaxTalk. She lives in Ry, Denmark.