Performers & composers

Þuríður Jónsdóttir

Þuríður Jónsdóttir (1967) composer and flutist studied composition at the Reykjavík Conservatory of Music. In ’89 she moved to Bologna, studying composition with C. Landuzzi, A. Guarnieri and L. Camilleri and receiving diplomas in flute, composition and electronic music from the Bologna Conservatory. In ’92 she attended the summer course held by Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and in ’95 –’96 she attended the composition course with A. Solbiati at the Accademia di Novara.

In her works, Jónsdóttir has frequently tackled the relation between acoustic and electronic sounds.  Her activity as a performer has provided her with means to explore this relation extensively, in a work for solo flute and electronic sounds as well as in works for choir or orchestra and electronics. Her compositions are frequently performed at festivals in Iceland and Europe such as Présences in Paris, Musica Nova in Copenhagen, OENM in Salzburg, MusiMarch in Québec.  She has got commissions from Radio France, Nomus, from Caput ensemble among other Icelandic institutions and musicians.  Her electronic piece, L’altra dimensione was selected for the Bourges International Competition 2005 and Flow and Fusion, for orchestra and electronics, was selected at the Rostrum of Composers 2004 (UNESCO) and nominated for the Nordic Music Price 2006.

Flow and Fusion (12')

As a result of her receiving the first prize in the composition competition of the Zucchelli Foundation in Bologna Thuridur Jonsdottir was commissioned to write this work for orchestra, which was premiered in February 2002. The piece makes use of an ordinary orchestra plus saxophones but with the addition of electronic sounds so as to add a certain perspective to the sound mass. The electronic sounds are thus not in a main role. They are all derived from recordings of the instruments of the orchestra and should only be considered as an addition or distortion of the concert hall’s acoustics.  Flow and Fusion was performed by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra on the Dark Music Days festival in 2004 and subsequently nominated for the Icelandic Music Price and selected by the International Rostrum of composers (UNESCO) in Paris the same year.  Flow and fusion was nominated for the Nordic music price 2006

“One of the images I had in mind while writing Flow and Fusion were different streams of glowing hot magma coming together in one surging lava-flow which cools down, becomes a rock…and echoes”. 
Þ.J