MONTEVERDI: The Vespers of the blessed Virgin -Vespro della Beata Vergine Festive concert in Eldborg Harpa first Sunday in Advent Dec 3 2023 at 8 pm
27/11/2023
COMPLETE READING OF THE HYMNS OF THE PASSION BY HALLGRÍMUR PÉTURSSON in HARPA Music Hall – Hörpuhorni (Harpa corner on the second floor)
22/03/2024
Beautiful Christmas concert with the celebrated Motet Choir, cello and children´s choir in the charming surroundings at Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík by the lake.
For decades, The Motet Choir’s Christmas concert has been an essential Christmas tradition during Advent in Reykjavík. This year’s program includes the choir’s favorite Christmas songs from various eras.
Hrafnhildur Marta Guðmundsdóttir cellist will join the choir on her cello in several songs. Hrafnhildur Marta has played with orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic and played solo with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Nord. She has held the position of the leading cellist in Sinfonia Nord, as well as having been the leading cellist in orchestras such as the Aurora Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm and the Aspen Opera Orchestra in Colorado, USA.
Soloists from the choir will sing lovely Christmas arias and the Motet Choir’s children’s choir, consisting of children of choir members, will join in on selected songs. We promise a unique Christmas atmosphere in the Reykjavik city center on December 12 and 13. and we look forward to having a wonderful time with our guests.
The Motet Choir – formerly the Motet Choir of Hallgrímskirkja – was founded in 1982 and has been one of Iceland’s preeminent choirs for over forty years. The choir’s repertoire is extensive and multifaceted, and includes numerous oratorios, passions and requiems, a cappella pieces from various periods and Icelandic compositions that the choir has premiered.
The Motet Choir has toured numerous times, sung in many major cathedrals of Europe and participated in various music festivals. The choir has been nominated three times as Performer of the Year in Classical and Contemporary Music at the Icelandic Music Awards, in 2012 for its performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra), in 2015 for its performance of Handel’s Solomon at the Festival of Sacred Arts in Hallgrímskirkja, and the choir received the prize for the year 2021 for its performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Harpa in November 2021.
Performers:
Motet Choir
Hrafnhildur Marta Guðmundsdóttir, cello
Motet Choir childrens choir
Conductor: Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
