Kolbeinn Bjarnason was born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1958. He started to compose in 2011. He studied philosophy and literature at The Icelandic University and flute at Reykjavík College of Music. Bjarnason graduated from R.C.M in 1979 and continued his studies with a.o. Manuela Wiesler in Reykjavík, Kyioshi Kasai in Basel and Robert Dick, Harvey Sollberger and Julius Baker in New York where he also studied shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo-flute) with Ralph Samuelson. He took, much later, shakuhachi lessons with Teruhisa Fukuda in Tokyo.

As flautist Bjarnason performed in Europe, America and Japan, premiered new pieces and worke with such disparate composers as Toshio Hosokawa, Brian Ferneyhough, Doina Rotaru, Simon Mawhinney, Hans-Henrik Nordström and Hiroyuki Itoh to name but a few. His recordings of the flute music of Hosokawa (Naxos 2010) and Ferneyhough (Bridge 2002 have received international acclaim. Bjarnason is co-founder of Caput ensemble.

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Litbrigði
2024

5 min.

Piccolo

Premier: Petrea Óskarsdóttir
Windworks - Akureyri Art Museum, 3. August 2024

Það er tíminn / C’est le temps
2024

Soprano and viola

Text: Exercices de style by Raymond Queneau
Premier: Dúlum dúó - Björk Níelsdóttir & Þórunn Margrét Sveinsdóttir.
Tíbrá - concert series in Salurinn, Kópavogur, 25. February 2024

Svipbrigðin / Expressions passions de l’âme
2023
10 mín.

Violin and harp

Reflections on Charles le Bruin‘s drawings.
Premier: Laufey Sigurðardóttir & Elísabet Waage.
Salurinn, Kópavogur, 18th February 2024

Treystu náttmyrkrinu / Trust in night‘s darkness
2023
15 mín.

Soprano, flute, clarinet, guitar 

Poems: Sigurður Pálsson
Premier: Stirni ensemble
Dark Music Days 24th January 2024

Contact

For inquiries, please contact
kolbeinn.bjarnason@icloud.com

Recordings ︎︎︎