Sónata is an Icelandic fairy-tale opera by Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson and Messíana Tómasdóttir, suited for children from 2 years old to approximately 8 years old. It premiered in Gamla bíó in Reykjavík in 1994. This is a new production by the performance group Magga, Dísa og Sigga. The group has experimented with the material and developed the piece together in a collaborative workshop. The group aims to introduce opera to children and yet to experiment with the opera form and its possibilities to grow.The storyline is familiar where in the end the fear itself is the worst enemy and characters need to have courage to face their fears. Each character has their own language and characteristic music.The show takes about 40 minutes.Free entrance - but please reserve seats here

A young woman walks into an office with big hopes and dreams to be able to do something good for the world. First she must convince some over caffeinated bureaucrats to sponsor her project for her dreams to come true.How far is she willing to go to follow their rules?Kornið is a brand new chamber opera by Birgit Djupedal. Libretto by Ingunn Lára Kristjánsdóttir.

Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir mezzo-soprano and Guðrún Dalía Salómonsdóttir pianist will perform the song cycle Svartálfadans by Jón Ásgeirsson to Stefán Hörður Grímsson's poems, along with a few of the most loved songs by Ásgeirsson who celebrates his 90th birthday in October. Gunnar Þorsteinsson will recite the poems in between songs.Tickets here

Tickets are available at Tix.isIn the Darkness, Everything Went All Black is set in darkness, in another world perhaps. It’s a place where something or someone is hiding in the dark. There are also other traces of life there, two persons are desperately trying to struggle with the situation they are put in, hoping to find a way towards the freedom and the light. In the Darkness, Everything Went All Black is an opera experience that investigates the sensory features of blindness. Do we listen more actively when we can’t see? How do we percieve sound in the dark?The opera is written for two singers and live electronics and performed in English. In the Darkness, Everything went All Black is a collaboration between Operation Opera and Teatr Weimar. Operation Opera produces music theatre and opera in Halmstad and is supported by Kultur i Halland and Kulturförvaltningen in Halmstad. Teatr Weimar is supported by the Swedish Arts Council and Malmö Stad. The performance is documented with support from Stiftelsen Scenkonstens Historia in Gothenburg.Concept by Hedvig Jalhed, Mattias Rylander, Jörgen Dahlqvist, Kent Olofsson, and Agnes WästfeltText by Jörgen DahlqvistMusic by Kent OlofssonSet design by Mattias RylanderPerformed by Hedvig Jalhed (soprano), Agnes Wästfelt (soprano), and Kent Olofsson (live-electronics)The performances are documented as a part of Hedvig Jalhed's doctoral study in ludo-immersive opera at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg. Please read more about the research project on www.hsm.gu.se or contact Hedvig Jalhed on Hedvig.jalhed@hsm.gu.se if you have any questions about it.

Sam and Dinah are the ideal couple, living in the perfect suburban paradise. Quite a different reality lies under the polished surface which doesn't fit to the market-influenced image. We watch a day in their life and a chain of events which turns out to be critical for the future of their marriage.The piece is a satire reflecting the pop culture of the 50s in the United States and unveils the illusion of the American Dream, a world of comparisons and the rat race of consumption which takes its toll on love. This will be the first production of Trouble in Tahiti in Iceland, but this year is Leonard Bernstein's 100th anniversary. Performance duration is just under 1 hour and will be performed in EnglishTickets  here

Free Play is an experimental work on the verge of performance art and visual art where the opera La Traviata by Verdi is interpreted through electronic music.The work is based on Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, La Traviata. Instead of the traditional orchestra, the electronic musician Sveinbjörn Thorarensen, also known as Hermigervill, creates a soundscape together with soprano Hrafnhildur Árnadóttir Hafstað. Set and costume design, created with designer Þórunn María Jónsdóttir, forms an installation.The title Free Play refers to the protagonist, Violetta’s famous aria Sempre Libera, or Always Free, where she sings about her desire to live joyful and free of worry or commitments.Free entrance but limited space. Team: Hrafnhildur Árnadóttir / Hrafnhildur Gissurardóttir / Borghildur Indriðadóttir / Petra Valdimarsdóttir / Sveinbjörn Thorarensen, Hermigervill / Saga Sigurðardóttir / Þórunn María Jónsdóttir / Valgerður Árnadóttir / Ástrós Erla Benediktsdóttir / hah-editionsFree Play // Instagram

In 2003 Magnea and the organist Guðmundur Sigurðsson published a CD "Allt svo verði til dýrðar þér" by Smekkleysa. It contained folk versions of psalms, including Passions psalms of Hallgrímur Pétursson. For the last few years Magnea has concentrated on making music and active listening to music for people with dementia. Magnea is a lecturer at Listaháskóli Íslands for the course "Music and dementia" where improvisation is used in music workshops and the creative process is the core of the workshop. Magnea works for Hlíðarbær, a local day-care centre in Reykjavík for people with dementia.Please register by sending an e-mail to hljomursalar@gmail.com or by calling 846 2129

The Plastic Opera is a brand new opera for children and parents by Gísli Jóhann Grétarsson and Árni Kristjánsson. It’s about a father and daughter, Kristinn and Eldey, who spend the day together at home when Eldey has a day off from school. Eldey’s dreams about being able to play with her dad, are shattered when it turns out that Kristinn has to write a report about a dead boring plastic company. Eldey wants to get through to her father but that turns out to be a challenge while he’s under the spell of this plastic monstrosity.There will be two performances of the Plastic Opera in The Culture House at Hverfisgata on October 21st at 2 pm and 4 pm.Free entrance but please reserve seats at by registering through this link: https://goo.gl/forms/n0rcDJT8YLKBKdkB2See you!

When entering VOICELAND one encounters a world made purely of vocal sounds. 17 singers lead through a spatial composition inspired by traditional vocal genres and every day sounds. In this original 60-minute a capella performance the audience can walk freely inside of the performance space that is shared with the singers. This allows the audience to shape their own experience. Their journey through VOICELAND is guided by their own curiosity and attention. VOICELAND is a site-specific performance. A unique form is created for the audience in Reykjavik at Gömlu Kartöflugeymslurnar, Ártúnsbrekku.Free entry - reserve tickets here 

Brák Baroque Ensemble is a group of young musicians who share their passion for baroque music, who have specialized partly in historical performance practice and wish to broaden the baroque scene in Iceland. Brák Baroque Ensemble performs in different constellations depending on the choice of repertoire and concept each time, variying from a small chamber ensemble to a larger orchestra. The ensemble mixes together different kinds of repertoire, everything from solo pieces and chamber music to large orchestra works, all in the same concert. Brák Baroque Ensembles’s goal is to actively cooperate with artists of other art forms.During this concert, the focus will be on glorious opera arias and duets by Georg Friedrich Händel as well as instrumental music by his contemporaries, Vivaldi, Sammartini og Galuppi.

In collaboration with OMNOM CHOCOLATEThe famouse TV-chef Julia Child, teaches the audience to bake a French chocolate cake and who knows, maybe they'll get a little taste when the cake is done.The performance takes about 20 minutes and is sung in English.A perfect piece for your company or institution to break up the day! We travel easily to where ever you are. Please get in touch for further information.

The comical opera Thrymskvida by Jón Ásgeirsson will be performed at the Performing Arts Center "Harpa" on 26th and 27th of October 2018. Eight soloists, The University Choir of Iceland and the Iceland Youth Symphony Orchestra are taking part in the performance. Gunnsteinn Ólafsson is the conductor and the director will be the opera singer , Bjarni Thor Kristinsson.Thor discovers that his hammer Mjolnir has been stolen! Thrym, the god of giants, claims the goddess Freyja instead of giving back the weapon. Freyja refuses and Thor must go disguised as the female deity to Thrym, accompanied by the god Loki.PerformersThor – Guðmundur Karl EiríkssonThrym – Keith ReedFreyja – Margrét HrafnsdóttirGríma – Agnes ÞorsteinsdóttirHeimdall – Thorsteinn Freyr Sigurdsson Loki – Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson Tenor1. god – Gunnar Björn Jónsson2. god – Björn Þór GuðmundssonGods and Giants – The University Choir of IcelandIceland Youth Symphony OrchestraConductor: Gunnsteinn ÓlafssonStage director: Bjarni Thor Kristinsson opera singerThe performance of Thrymskvida is in honor of (takes place due to) the 90th anniversary of the composer Jón Ásgeirsson and the centenary of Icelandic independence and sovereignty. Trymskvida is the first Icelandic opera, premiered in 1974.Tickets available at Harpa and here

Free entryWe sing and dance together and listen to music. The pleasure of sharing music stimulates intimacy and physical contact between the infant and the parent and joy of singing increases. Research has shown that music enhances the emotional and motor development of children. Sharing music with infants stimulates all the senses and they enjoy to be with the other infants and their parents. They sense the atmosphere and feel the joy in the environment. Everybody can participate and no previous knowledge of singing is necessary. For your child, your voice is the most precious!

Three day masterclass with Gitta-Maria Sjöberg soprano and chairman of the Swedish Birgit Nilsson Society will find place on October 31, November 1st and 2nd at 10 am - 1 pm and 2 pm - 4 pm.The masterclass suits advanced singing students and professional singers. Each day she will start with a light warm-up and exercises with the participants. Gerrit Schuil will accompany on the piano.Participation fee is 20.000 ISK per participant, subsidized by Reykjavík Opera Days.There are places for eight singers - please apply before October 10th on operudagar@operudagar.is  Everyone is welcome to observe the masterclass. Entry is free.Gitta-Maria Sjöberg incredible soprano voice has made her a highly cherished and wanted guest singer all over the world. Her versatility is extraordinary. She masters both lyric and highly dramatic parts giving her characters sublime inner life and complexity. Her range covers a broad repertoire of roles such as Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Mimi , Desdemona, Amelia, Leonora, Arabella, Sieglinde, Brangaene, Rusalka, Katarina Ismailova, Kostelnicka and Emilia Marty. For the latter, she was named singer of the year by leading German critics. In the fall of 2014, she was invited to open the Janácek Festival in Brno in the role of Emilia Marty in “Vec Makropulos”, and the reviews were overflowing with success. The performance was recorded and was aired in The European Radio and on Czechish TV. Recently, the show was awarded first prize for the best production of an opera in Czech Republic and plans have been made for a DVD release. In 2017 she sang the role of “The Mother” in the premiere of Louise Alenius’ opera “Silent Zone” at the Copenhagen Opera Festival.Gitta-Maria Sjöberg received her education from the Opera Academy in Copenhagen where she was trained and coached by the great Finnish bass singer Kim Borg. Nowadays she shares her experiences and teaches many masterclasses for young promising talents who benefit from her coaching and large experience.Gitta-Maria is also a highly gifted lied-singer and has been giving solo Recitals all over Europe. She works with the same presence, enthusiasm and energy, whether it is a Schubert-lied, a Folk song or a Jazz ballad. The large interest she has for lieder and songs inspired her to establish a new festival in Sweden called “Nordic Song Festival”, which had its successful opening in the summer of 2014. The festival consists of a mix of masterclasses, concerts and artistic research. Nordic Song Festivalis growing with great success and she bids you “Welcome to Nordic Song FestivalJune 28 – July 6 2018!”Among her many records and publications, you’ll find “Verdi & Puccini Arias”, “Nordic Trio: Nordic Folk Songs and Ballads”, and “15 Songs by Gustaf Fröding”. Recently, she released a recording with interpretations of Nordic Christmas songs with the title: “Nordic Winter Christmas Songs”.Her portrayal of the demonic and yet tragic role of Kostelnicka at Malmö Opera’s rendition of Jenufain 2011 was praised by Opera News as one of the best ever made, and is available on DVD from ArtHaus Musik.Gitta-Maria Sjöberg has received many awards and has been Knighted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark giving her the title of Knight of Dannebrog first grade.Head of the board for: Birgit Nilsson Societyhttp://www.birgitnilsson.com/sv-se/birgit-nilsson-museum/birgit-nilsson-sällskapet/Member of the board for:Nordic Operahttp://nordicopera.dk/en/Artistic DirectorNordic Song Festival - Performance & Researchhttp://www.nordicsongfestival.com/sv-SE 

This fall, the students in the singing department of Iceland Academy of the Arts will have six noon concerts at Kjarvalsstaðir. Along with their accompanists, the singers will give performances of pieces belonging to different themes. The 24th of October is the national "Women's day off" and therefore that day's concert will be solely made up off pieces composed by female composers. The concert will be held in Kjarvalsstaðir at 12:15, and will be around an hour in length. Admission is free.

Herdís Anna Jónasdóttir, soprano and Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir pianist will sing and play music by Debussy, Kurt Weill, Gershwin and last but not least Leonard Bernstein, whose 100 year anniversary we're celebrating in 2018. Tickets are available at Tix.is

Ástríður Alda and Bjarni Thor will dig into concert programs from the past and perform a selection of songs and arias.Bjarni Thor is one of Iceland's most successful opera singer on international opera stages. After starting his career in Vienna he appears as a guest on many of Europe's biggest opera stages, among others Berlin, Paris, Venice, Verona, Rome, Lissabon, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Hamborg and Munich.After the recital, the audience will have a chance to listen to a chat with Bjarni; an Operadays representative will learn more about his most recent engagement in Kassel, where he sings the role of Wotan in Wagner's Ring.Tickets at tix.is

Songs and Dances of Death, a song cycle composed by Modest Mussorgsky to poems by the composers relative Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, was written in the mid 1870s Death plays a big part in each song, depicting poetic but realistic experiences of 19th century Russia: child death, death in youth, drunken endeavours and war. Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, a song cycle composed by Gustav Mahler on his own texts, was written around 1884-85. Mahler wrote the cycle in the wake of his unhappy love for soprano Johanna Richter, whom he met while conducting in Germany. Hence each song depicts his own personal feelings on the matter. Tickets here

The first symposium of Reykjavík Opera Days will be held in the Nordic House on 29th and 30th of October from 10:00 - 15:00. Several Nordic operas are on this year's festival program. The symposium is a meeting point for members of independent opera companies and interested artists to discuss the present and future of the Nordic opera scene. Each company will introduce their work and later on, there will be panel discussions. Participation is free and everyone is welcome.

Free entryIn celebration of Birgit Nilsson's centennial, Reykjavík Opera Days have organised a lecture in the Nordic House, where Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, chairman of the Birgit Nilsson society in Sweden will give a talk about her life and career.Birgit Nilsson was born on may 17th, 1918 in Sweden. She later became one of the most celebrated sopranos of all times, especially for her interpretations of Strauss' and Wagner's operatic roles. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power, and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register. Nilsson performed on the biggest opera stages in the world and received many prizes and awards. Gitta-Maria Sjöberg is a Swedish soprano who has celebrated international success with her opera and concert performances. She has sung some of the greatest roles of the operatic literature, like Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Desdemona and Arabella. She has received a number of awards, among others the Birgit Nilsson award and in 2004 she was knighted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark with the title of Knight of Dannebrog first grade.

Let's sing together is the opening event of Óperudagar. We invite all choirs in and around Reykjavík and the public to unite in song for 20 minutes and officially launch the festival, please come join us!  

Discover an opera island in an Icelandic swimming pool during the festival!

During the opening day of Reykjavík Opera Days, three opera cats will perform Rossini's famous Duetto di due gatti! Come and pet a cat while listening to this fantastic piece of music in an appropriate setting.

Sing along with Ingólfur Steinsson, musician at Hannesarholt. Free for children in the accompaniment of a paying adult. Entrance is ISK 1000

The singer steps forth, ready to put it all out there.  How will it be received? What is an audition? How does it take place? What can happen?Open call is a marathon-happening where classical singers sing for the Icelandic nation in the Reykjavík Art Museum from 10:00 am till 10:00 pm. Visitors can drop in and out and observe what is going on for as long/short as they prefer.We play with the idea of an audition at the same time as we demonstrate how incredibly many classical singers there are in Iceland. Why don't know them better? 

Sunday November 4 at 5 pmHallgrimskirkja Chamber Choir Schola cantorumConductor Hörður ÁskelssonProgram:MEDIA VITA by John SHEPPARD MISERERE by James MacMILLANREQUIEM by Kjell- Mörk KARLSENAll Saints‘ day, is celebrated on the first Sunday of November. It is a day of remembrance for the faithful - to reflect on and express gratitude for their loved ones who have died. Many beautiful sacred compositions - requiems, motets and hymns - are connected to this day. It has been a tradition for many years at Hallgrímskirkja to celebrate All Saints‘ day with a concert.   In this year's concert, Schola Cantorum, The Chamber Choir of Hallgrímskirkja, presents sacred compositions by composers known for their beautiful musical language, that connects the past and the present.  Schola Cantorum Schola cantorum is the Hallgrímskirkja multiple prize-winning chamber choir, founded in 1996 by its conductor Hörður Áskelsson. Schola cantorum was awarded the “Performer of the Year 2016" by the Icelandic Music Award in March 2017. Schola cantorum has from the very start played an important role in Icelandic music scene with a repertoire that consists mainly of renaissance, baroque and contemporary music including numerous premier performances by Icelandic composers. The choir gives regularly concerts in Iceland and has given concerts in Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, France and USA. In April 2017 the choir was invited to perform in 5 concerts in the Reykjavik Festival in Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, organized by the LA Phil, and received outstanding reviews in world known newspapers like NY Times, LA Times etc. 

Sing a long with the choir „Góðir grannar“ in Hannesarholt. They will sing Icelandic song and everyone is welcome to come and sing a long or listen.Entrance is 1000 kr, free for children accompanied by a paying adult