Daníel Bjarnason

Born on 26 February 1979,[2] Daníel studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the University of Music, Freiburg.[3] He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic.[4][5][6]

Daníel is currently composer-in-residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven[7] and was artist in residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. He has also collaborated with respected artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost,[8] Sigur Ros[9] and Brian Eno.[10]

Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work, including Gustavo Dudamel,[11] John Adams,[12] André de Ridder,[13] James Conlon,[14] Louis Langrée[15] and Ilan Volkov.[16]

Daníel's recent work has included collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,[17] Rambert Dance Company,[18] Britten Sinfonia,[19] Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,[20] So Percussion[21] and the Calder Quartet.[22] In August 2017, he acted as a co-curator, composer and conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Reykjavik Festival.[23]

Daníel Bjarnason has won numerous awards at the Icelandic Music Awards, including Song Of The Year (2015) for Ek ken di nag [24] and Composer of the Year, 2013 for his works The Isle Is Full of Noises and Over Light Earth.[25][26] Over Light Earth (2013) won the Icelandic Music Award for the best classical CD of the year in 2013.[27] 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.[28] In 2010, Daníel nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council's Music Prize, and won the Kraumur Music Award.[29] Daníel has also been awarded a grant from the Kristján Eldjárn Memorial Fund.[27]