Daníel Bjarnason


Daníel Bjarnason is a composer and conductor from Iceland. Daníel studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the University of Music, Freiburg. He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic.
He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, Processions, with Time Out NY declaring that Daníel "create a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music's undefinable brave new world".
Daníel Bjarnason is currently composer in residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven and was artist in residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. His versatility has given him the opportunity to collaborate with respected artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost, Sigur Ros and Brian Eno.
Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work, including Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, André de Ridder, James Conlon, Louis Langrée and Ilan Volkov.
Daníel's recent work has included collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rambert Dance Company, Britten Sinfonia, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, So Percussion and the Calder Quartet. In August 2017, he acted as a co-curator, composer and conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Reykjavik Festival.

Awards

Daníel Bjarnason has won numerous awards at the Icelandic Music Awards, including Song Of The Year for Ek ken di nag and Composer of the Year, 2013 for his works The Isle Is Full of Noises and Over Light Earth. Over Light Earth won the Icelandic Music Award for the best classical CD of the year in 2013. Also in 2013, he and Ben Frost won the Edda Award for best soundtrack for their score to film The Deep, directed by Baltasar Kormákur. In 2010, Daníel nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council's Music Prize, and won the Kraumur Music Award. Daníel has also been awarded a grant from the Kristján Eldjárn Memorial Fund.

Discography

Albums

Solo and small chamber works