Summer Concerts in Skálholt July 4th - July 8th 2026
Composer in Residence 2026 - Finnur Karlsson
Finn Karlsson's compositions have attracted attention both in Iceland and abroad in recent years. He has been called "without a doubt one of the more noteworthy composers of the younger generation" and his music has been called "honest and sincere" and "...breathtakingly beautiful".
His works have been performed by groups and soloists such as the Brák Baroque Band, Cantoque Ensemble, Danish Radio Orchestra, Elja Ensemble, Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, Loadbang, Nordic Saxophone Collective, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Sigga String Quartet, TAK and Århus Sinfonietta.
Finn's Accordion Concerto, written for Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson and the Elja Ensemble, was selected as the work of the year at the 2021 Icelandic Music Awards. Finn's works have been nominated twice before in this same category. The first time was in 2015 for the work Fold, which was commissioned by the Summer Concert in Skálholt Church for the Baroque Band Brák when Finn was composer-in-residence there. The other time was in 2018 for the orchestral work From My Green Karlstad, which was commissioned by the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra and the Elblag Chamber Orchestra. Finn's fourth orchestral work, 'till heavens changed have their course', written for the Danish Radio Orchestra, was selected as Danmarks Radio's contribution to the International Rostrum of Composers competition in Hungary in 2018.
Finnur Karlsson studied composition at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and the Royal Danish Academy of Music under the guidance of Hans Abrahamsen, Úlfur Ingi Haraldsson, Atli Ingólfsson, Simon Løffler and Niels Rosing-Schow.
Composers in residence
In 1986 Helga Ingólfsdóttir, the founder of the Summer Concerts, started the tradition of having one or more composers in residence. Every year a new piece was premiered at the Summer Concerts which made the festival not only a leading early music festival, but also a new music festival.
Many of the pieces have become a part of the Icelandic repertoire of new music, and have been performed in Iceland and abroad.
Here is a list of all the composers who have been composers in residence at Skálholt Summer Concerts.
1987 - Jón Nordal
1987 - Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson
1988 - Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson
1989 - Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson
1990 - Hafliði Hallgrímsson, Mist Þorkelsdóttir and Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson
1991 - John Speight and Karólína Eiríksdóttir
1992 - Oliver Kentish
1993 - Jón Nordal and Hafliði Hallgrímsson
1994 - Mist Þorkelsdóttir
1995 - Atli Heimir Sveinsson, Jón Nordal and Þorsteinn Hauksson
1996 - Jónas Tómasson and Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir
1997 - Oliver Kentish and Áskell Másson
1998 - Bára Grímsdóttir, Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir and Hafliði Hallgrímsson
1999 - Tryggvi M. Baldvinsson and Snorri S. Birgisson
2000 - Hróðmar Ingi Sigrubjörnsson and Bára Grímsdóttir
2001 - Jón Nordal and Karólína Eiríksdóttir
2002 - Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson and Þórður Magnússon
2003 - Gunnar Reynir Sveinsson, Oliver Kentish, Bára Grímsdóttir, Hugi Guðmundsson, Tryggvi M. Baldvinsson and Þuríður Jónsdóttir
2004 - Jón Nordal, Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir, John Tavener and Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir
2005 - Anna S. Þorvaldsdóttir, Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson, Hugi Guðmundsson and Þóra Marteinsdóttir
2006 - Doinu Rotaru
2007 - Daníel Bjarnason
2008 - Sveinn Lúðvík Björnsson
2009 - Þuríður Jónsdóttir
2010 - Sigurð Sævarsson
2011 - Þóra Marteinsdóttir
2012 - Hafdís Bjarnadóttir
2013 - Hreiðar Ingi Þorsteinson
2014 - Páll Ragnar Pálsson
2015 - Finnur Karlsson og Stefán Arason
2016 - María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
2017 - María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
2018 - Bára Gisladóttir og Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir
2019 - Þuríður Jónsdóttir
2020 - Gunnar Karel Másson og Þóranna Björnsdóttir
2021 - Haukur Tómasson and Eygló Viborg Höskuldsdóttir
2022 - Hróðmar ingi Sigurbjörnsson
2023 - Hjalti Nordal Gunnarsson
2024 - Bára Gísladóttir
2025 - Sigurður Sævarsson