Famous Icelander Composers

Bjork is an Icelandic singer, record producer, songwriter, DJ, and actress. She is best known for her association with the now-defunct yet popular band, The Sugarcubes. The bestselling Icelandic singer-songwriter of all time, Bjork was named in Time magazine's most influential people in the world list in 2015. Over the course of her illustrious career, Bjork has received several awards.

Hildur Guðnadóttir is an Icelandic composer and musician. A classically trained cellist, Guðnadóttir has recorded with popular bands like Throbbing Gristle, Pan Sonic, Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and Múm. Hildur Guðnadóttir is best known for her work in films like Joker, for which she received the Academy Award under the Best Original Score category.

Jóhann Jóhannsson was an Icelandic music composer best remembered for his wide array of work for various medium like theatre, television, and film. He is perhaps best known for his work in the 2014 biographical romantic drama film The Theory of Everything, for which he received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. 

BAFTA-winning Irish multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds is known for his innovative experiments with electronic music. A trained drummer and pianist, he uses his customized software to mingle classical and modern notes. He is also known for his collaborative initiatives, such as his work with the techno duo Kiasmos.

Atli Örvarsson is an Icelandic composer best known for his work in American films and TV series. He is credited with composing and orchestrating music for popular Hollywood films like Angels & Demons and the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.

Icelandic musician Gyða Valtýsdóttir is best known as the co-founder of the indietronica band Múm. She has also provided music to films, theater, and dance pieces, and has released several solo albums. She is the twin sister of the lead vocalist of Mum, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir.

Icelandic composer, pianist, and conductor Jón Leifs is noted as the only internationally successful conductor of the country till present. Most of his compositions like Hekla and Dettifoss were inspired by Icelandic natural phenomena. He advocated for music education and artists’ rights and worked on the ratification by Iceland of the Berne Convention and establishing Performing Rights Society of Iceland.

Icelandic record producer and composer Valgeir Sigurðsson owns the label Bedroom Community and the recording facility Greenhouse Studios. He began his musical journey at age 16, when he joined a recording studio for the first time. His creations often include experimental, electronic, and alternative music.

Celebrated composer of Iceland Anna Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir, whose music is many a time influenced by landscapes and nature, won Nordic Council Music Prize for her work Dreaming. Other important works of the virtuoso includes AERIALITY commissioned by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra with whom she is presently associated as composer-in-residence. Music of Anna is often performed in the US and Europe.

Icelandic composer-conductor Daníel Bjarnason gained-attention with his debut album, Processions. Many of his works were commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Notable works of Bjarnason, who is presently composer-in-residence at Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, includes The Isle Is Full of Noises and Over Light Earth, both of which won him Composer of the Year award at 2013 Icelandic Music Awards. 

Icelandic musician Steindór Andersen is best known for his Rímur chanting and collaborations with the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. Steindór is a regular guest at the Folk Music Festival in Siglufjörður. Rimur EP released by Sigur Rós in 2001 featured Andersen performing rímur. He also performed Hugann seiða svalli frá from Rímur on the band’s 2007 DVD release, Heima.

Musician, art-director, and allsherjargoði of Ásatrúarfélagið Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson is best-remembered for pioneering use of computers in composing musical-pieces that paved-way for new concepts in recording and arrangements. He worked with several bands, most-notably with Þeyr that released albums like Útfrymi through independent record-label Esquimaux Management that he co-created; and worked with several musicians like Sigur Rós, on experimental projects.