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 worked 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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Ó eilífi foss sem rambar á fossvegum Guðs
Poems by Steinunn Sigurðardóttir

Herdís Anna Jónasdóttir, soprano
Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir, mezzo-soprano

CAPUT-ensemble
Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, accordion
Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, harpsichord
Elísabet Waage & Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir, harps
Frank Aarnink & Steef van Oosterhout, percussion
Guðni Franzson, conductor

Polarfonia Classics, October 2025
Recorded in Studio Syrland by Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir

Flute

Premier: Björg Brjánsdóttir

Skálholt Summer Concerts
2. July 2025

Poems by Refaat Alareer, Konstantinos Kavafis,Írína Ratúsjínskaja & Natasha S.,

Premier: KIMI ensemble - Þórgunnur Anna Örnólfsdóttir soprano, Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson accordion, Katerina Anagnostidou percussion.

Tíbrá - concert series in Salurinn, Kópavogur.

18. May 2025

Poems by Gyrðir Elíasson, Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir & Ísak Harðarson.

Premier: Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir mezzo-soprano & Guðrún Dalía Salómonsdóttir piano.

Dark Music Days Reykjavík

25. January 2025

Contact

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

Recordings ︎︎︎