Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir
Soprano, Composer
The Icelandic award winning soprano and visual artist, Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir was named the Singer of the Year in the Classical and Contemporary Music category at the 2021 Icelandic Music Awards. Álfheiður’s versatility in her innovative approach to her craft has made her a sought-after collaborator with composers and other performers.
As a musician, she effortlessly moves between genres, embracing classical, contemporary, and experimental styles. Her most recent collaboration, “Poems”, co-composed and conceived with composer Viktor Orri Árnason was released by Deutsche Grammophon in November 2023 as well as her song Notturno, her rework of Víkingur Ólafsson’s Brahms’s Intermezzo from his latest album, From afar. The performance “Apparition” at Harpa concert hall in 2022, conceived with pianist Kunal Lahiry, was described by critics as “a unique and unforgettable art event” and was nominated as the event of the year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2023.
Álfheiður made her debut at the Berlin State Opera in the title role of Wolfgang Mitterer’s 'Snow White', in 2019 followed by her Papagena debut in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. After receiving tremendous accolades for her interpretation of L’ange in Olivier Messiaen’s “St. Francois d’Assise” at Basel Theatre in 2020, she became an ensemble member at the theatre and has since then sung roles including Gilda in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, and the soprano in a staged “St. Matthew Passion” by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as Philip Glass's “Einstein on the Beach”, to name a few.
A passionate song interpreter, the young soprano was a participant in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall in 2019 and was selected to represent Iceland in the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Álfheiður has a keen eye for visual storytelling. With her passion for photography and videography, she captures the essence of her musical journey, creating visuals that complement her performances. Her videos and photographs provide a glimpse into her world often inspired by her homecountry, allowing her audience to experience the depth and emotion behind her music.
