Biography
©Anisha Lanewala
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Mezzo soprano Karin Björg Torbjörnsdóttir is currently freelancing as a opera singer and actress. In June 2020 she was awarded Singer of the Year 2020 by Gríman, the Icelandic Performing Arts Awards, for her portrayal of Cherubino in the Icelandic Opera's production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Karin has been invited to attend an audition workshop with Barbara Hannigan and the Equilibrium Young Artists program in Paris.
Musically versatile, Karin has already shown some of her many colours with operatic repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary, especially in Mozart and early romantic music. Prior engagements include Luzerner Theater (CH), and at the opera studio in Staatsoper Stuttgart (DE), where she performed a variety of opera roles. Among Karin's roles are Amando (Le grand Macabre/Ligeti) Mozart's Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Bastien (Basiten und Bastienne) Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), 2.Lady (Magic flute), Flora (La traviata/Verdi), Tisbe (La cenerentola,/Rossini), Rosina and Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia/Rossini), as well as Alto 2 (Prometeo/Luigi Nono), Der Trommler (Der Kaiser von Atlantis/Ullmann), Ottavia (Il giuoco del quadriglio/caldara) and Pastuchyna (Jenufa/Janacek). |
She has appeared as a concert soloist on numerous occasions in Europe, USA and Asia, and at international festivals such as Anima Mundi in Pisa in Italy, Macau International Music Festival, Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, Barocknacht, and Nacht der Komponisten in Salzburg.
Born in Lund, Sweden, the early musical background of the Icelandic mezzo soprano include piano studies and competition-leveled choral singing, followed by private vocal studies with Swedish Mezzo Kerstin Grevelius and Prof. Laura Sarti before enrolling the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in Iceland, graduating DipABRSM with Distinction. Further studies at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg followed; Bachelor studies 2010-12, and Master of Arts - Opera and music theater 2012-14, lastly with Andreas Macco, Prof. Josef Wallnig and Eike Gramss, graduating on both occasions with Distinction.
Master classes of Voice and Operatic repertoire with Laura Sarti, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Galina Pisarenko, Donald Kaasch, Martha Sharp, Margaret Singer, Jane Thorner and Marianne Cornetti. Lied with Clara Taylor, Richard Stokes and Breda Zakotnik; baroque gestures and baroque acting with Margit Legler, and improvisational acting with Nicola Hümpel.
She works regularly with mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman and with pianist Gaiva Bandizanite.
Born in Lund, Sweden, the early musical background of the Icelandic mezzo soprano include piano studies and competition-leveled choral singing, followed by private vocal studies with Swedish Mezzo Kerstin Grevelius and Prof. Laura Sarti before enrolling the Reykjavík Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in Iceland, graduating DipABRSM with Distinction. Further studies at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg followed; Bachelor studies 2010-12, and Master of Arts - Opera and music theater 2012-14, lastly with Andreas Macco, Prof. Josef Wallnig and Eike Gramss, graduating on both occasions with Distinction.
Master classes of Voice and Operatic repertoire with Laura Sarti, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Galina Pisarenko, Donald Kaasch, Martha Sharp, Margaret Singer, Jane Thorner and Marianne Cornetti. Lied with Clara Taylor, Richard Stokes and Breda Zakotnik; baroque gestures and baroque acting with Margit Legler, and improvisational acting with Nicola Hümpel.
She works regularly with mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman and with pianist Gaiva Bandizanite.