HEIÐA ÁRNADÓTTIR
MUSICIAN // VOCALIST
PROJECTS
Contemporary Music
The music I am most passionate about performing is contemporary music. During my studies in the Netherlands, I had the incredible opportunity to perform a wide range of contemporary works. One of the highlights of my career has been serving as an artist in residence at the Dark Music Days festival for three consecutive years. This experience allowed me to deepen my expertise in working with the voice in contemporary music, as well as collaborate closely with composers who wrote pieces specifically written for my voice.
Tunglið og ég - The music of Michel Legrand in Icelandic
collaboration with Gunnar Gunnarsson (piano)
Heiða has collaborated with Gunnar Gunnarsson pianist in performing the beautiful songs of Michel Legrand in Icelandic. Icelandic lyrics by Árni Ísaksson (Heiða´s father) and Bragi Valdimar Skúlason. The CD was released in November 2023.
Concert at the University of Iceland
Mógil
collaboration with Joachim Badenhorst (clarinet), Hilmar Jensson (guitar), Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir (viola) and Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson (trumpet)
Heiða has composed songs and lyrics and is the singer in the band Mógil,. Mógil has issued four Cds, „Ró“ (2008) released by Radical Duke in Belgium, "Í stillunni hljómar" (2012), "Korriró" (2015) and their latest CD „Adventa“ , based on Gunnar Gunnarsson´s famous novel of the same name, was issued by the respectable German publishing company Winter and Winter in 2019. Mógil ís in the process of writing new songs inspired by drawings and words of the wanderer Sölvi Helgason.
Collaboration with Ásbjörg Jónsdóttir (composer) and Ragnheiður Erla Björnsdóttir (poet and composer)
"Mörsugur" is a multimedia performance for voice and audiovisuals based on a poetic tale by Ragnheiður Erla Björnsdóttir. The poetry follows a fragmented narrative with elements of folklore set in the Icelandic landscape. The main character in the performance is based on female mythical figures. The piece explores the inner state of a woman who is caught between worlds, light and darkness, a space where memories and perception merge. The work is a creative collaboration between Ásbjörg Jónsdóttir, Heiða Árnadóttir, and Ragnheiður Erla Björnsdóttir. The video is created by Ásdís Birna Gylfadóttir. MÖRSUGUR has received two nominations for Gríman, Iceland Performing Arts Awards: "Music of the Year" and "Singer of the Year".
Ilm og Ómleikar/þá birtist sjálfið - Scent - & sound games / And the self appears
Collaboration with Þóranna Björnsdóttir (composer) and Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir (piano)
Composer Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir compoed two works for Heiða. Now we have made recordings that can be listened to on all major streaming services.
The first one Ilm og Ómleikar/Scent- & sund games is consisted of using five different scents to stimulate the sense of smell, trigger emotions and create scent-sound integration.
it was performed by Heiða, Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir and Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir
Þá birtist sjálfið/ And the self appears is a piece for voice, vocal improvisation and electronics. Poetry is by Sonja Winckelmann Thomsen and translated by Birna Anna Björnsdóttir.
“About such a thing as that not much fuss is made in the world; for a self is the thing the world is least apt to inquire about, and the thing of all things the most dangerous for a man to let people notice that he has it. The greatest danger, that of losing one’s own self, may pass off as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, that of an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed.“ -Søren Kierkegaard, Sygdommen til døden.
Varstu búinn að vera að reyna að ná í mig
Solo opera by Guðmundur Steinn Gunnarsson for one voice and electronic sounds.
Part One: Laberico Narabida
Four voices, each with different levels of confidence, represent various characteristics from ancient medical and esoteric teachings (the four humours, elements, chakras, astrology, etc.). These voices are in conflict, and the human is lost, struggling to find their way.
Part Two: Scraping in Ditches
The voice searches for harmony with itself, transforming complexity into simplicity and vice versa. Composing is an attempt to reach reconciliation, like a negotiation between elements.
Part Three: Adibaran Ocirebal
The four elements take on the form of characters within the singer, battling for attention. They attempt to reconcile, but it’s impossible. The work explores the relationship between sound and voice, with electronic sounds amplifying but not characterizing the voice—like the person’s thoughts.
Þá birtist sjálfið / And the Self Appears
A piece for voice, vocal improvisation and electronics
Composer Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir - Singer Heiða Árnadóttir
Poetry: Sonja Winckelmann Thomsen
Premiered @Dark Music Days 2020
"About such a thing as that not much fuss is made in the world; for a self is the thing the world is least apt to inquire about, and the thing of all things the most dangerous for a man to let people notice that he has it. The greatest danger, that of losing one’s own self, may pass off as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, that of an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed.“
-Søren Kierkegaard, Sygdommen til døden.
Listen
Video
Þóranna Björnsdóttir CV
