Tinna Thorsteinsdóttir already has a remarkably broad experience with the world of new music for the piano and has premiered many solo pieces especially written for her. Her performances include solo recitals at the Bergen Festival in 2006 and the Reykjavík Arts Festival in 2007. Tinna studied at the Reykjavík College of Music and then ventured to Germany to study with Norwegian pianist Einar Steen-Nökleberg. She graduated in 2000 from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold-Münster in Germany, where her professor was Gregor Weichert. In 2001 Tinna received a Fulbright scholarship and a grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation and started her studies at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with Stephen Drury. She completed her Graduate Diploma in 2003. Tinna has shown a keen interest in different styles of the piano repertoire and participated in several courses, among them interpretation of 20th century music and baroque music, with pianists such as Mme Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Pierre Réach and Marc Ponthus. She has worked with many Icelandic composers, as well as composers Helmut Lachenmann, Christian Wolff, Morton Subotnick and Evan Ziporyn. Tinna has given numerous solo recitals, e.g. at the Nordischer Klang Festival in Greifswald, Germany, in Berlin, Beijing, as well as appearing as a soloist at the Bach Festival in Rheine in Germany, in Boston and Paris and in countries such as Austria and Portugal. Other performances include the Bang on a Can Marathon in San Francisco. Tinna gave her debut solo recital in Iceland in 2004 and premiered five Icelandic piano pieces written for her, in a concert at the Dark Music Days Festival in Iceland in 2005. Tinna has performed this program on different occasions in several countries, among them at the Bergen International Festival in Norway at the Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen in 2006 and in Copenhagen 2007. Tinna gave a solo recital at the Reykjavík Arts Festival 2007, where she again premiered five new pieces especially written for her. Tinna is the pianist of the Icelandic tango-salon band L'amour fou and the new music group Njúton. Her solo CD Granit Games was released in 2007 with Bad Taste Records and earned critical acclaim. Performances on other CDs include Roto con moto with Njúton Ensemble and the L´amour fou CD Íslensku Lögin and Spil by composer Karólína Eiríksdóttir.
Schools and Studies
2003 New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, USA, Graduate Diploma
2000 Hochschule für Musik Detmold-Münster, Germany, Diplom
Solo Recitals
2007 Two solo recitals at the Reykjavík Arts Festival, in Ýmir, Reykjavík and Laugarborg, northern part of Iceland, premieres of five new Icelandic piano pieces, written for Tinna
2007 Solo recital at GL Strand Gallery in Copenhagen on the exhibition "Lavaland"
2006 Solo recital at the Bergen International Festival in Norway, at the Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen
2006 Solo recital at the Dark Music Days festival, in Ýmir, Reykjavík, among other pieces premieres of three new pieces, written for Tinna
2005 Solo recitals at the Summit Club, Beijing, China, 17th and 18th of June
2005 Solo recital at the Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany
2005 Opening recital of the festival Nordischer Klang in Greifswald, Germany
2005 Solo recital in the "Ski Week" in Isafjördur, Iceland
2005 Solo recital in the 15:15 concert series at Reykjavík City Theatre, Iceland
2005 Solo recital in Salurinn, Kópavogur, Iceland at the Dark Music Days festival, premieres of five new Icelandic piano pieces, written for Tinna
2004 Debut recital in Salurinn, Kópavogur, Iceland
2003 Graduate Diploma recital at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, graduation recital
2002 Graduate Diploma recital at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, first recital towards degree
2000 Graduation recital from Hochschule für Musik Detmold-Münster
Other Concerts, Solo and Chamber Music
2006 Spring concert of the radio show Hlaupanótan, Academy of the Arts, Reykjavík, live broadcasting, RUV
2006 USA tour with modern music group Aton
2006 Concert with modern music group Aton at the Dark Music Days festival, in Ýmir, Reykjavík, all premieres
2005 Christmas concert with modern music group Aton, in Idnó, Reykjavík, all premieres
2005 Concert to celebrate the first CD release of Icelandic tango band L'amour fou, the National Theatre Cellar, Reykjavík
2005 Portrait concert of composer Karólína Eiríksdóttir, National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík: chamber works Renku and Miniatures, Capriccio for clarinet and piano and premiere of Strenglag for viola and piano
2005 Final concert at the Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie masterclasses at Klangspuren festival in Schwaz, Austria: Helmut Lachenmann: "...zwei Gefühle...", Musik mit Leonardo, for 2 speakers & small orchestra
2005 Ikarus for piano and electronic sounds by Steingrímur Rohloff performed at Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie, Haus der Deutschen Ensemble Akademie, Frankfurt, Germany
2005 Piano piece by Áskell Másson: Fantasiestück, performed at a concert of Staka chamber choir, Frederiks Bastion, Copenhagen, Denmark
2004 Solo performance on The Piano Day, Gerduberg, Reykjavík
2004 Solo performance at the International Piano Masterclasses of Óbidos (SIPO), Portugal
2004 Solo performance at Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance (SICPP), Boston
2004 Dark Music Days festival, Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson: Romanza, with Ingólfur Vilhjálmsson, clarinet and Kristjana Helgadóttir, flute in Salurinn, Kópavogur, Iceland
2003 Concerts with the salon-band L´amour fou, sponsored by Reykjavík Cultural City Fund:
Cultural City Night, August 16th in Idnó, Reykjavík
Noon Concert in Ketilhús, August 22nd, Akureyri, Iceland
Concert in Hamrar, August 24th, Ísafjördur
Concerts in Idnó, August 26th and 27th, Reykjavík
2003 Solo performance at Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance (SICPP), Boston
2002 New Year's Concert with the salon-band L´amour fou in Idnó, Reykjavík
2002 Solo performance in the concert series 15:15, Reykjavík City Theatre
2002 Concert with the salon-band L´amour fou, Ísafjördur, Iceland
2002 Concert with the salon-band L´amour fou, Reykjavík
2001 Solo performance at the Piano Festival of New England Conservatory of Music in Goethe Institute, Boston
1998 Karólína Eiríksdóttir: Heimkynni vid sjó, premiere with Ingibjörg Gudjónsdóttir, soprano, National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík
1997 Ung Nordisk Musik Festival (UNM), Reykjavík
1996 Solo performance at Bach Festival in Rheine, Germany
1992 Solo performance at Piano Festival, Akureyri, Iceland
1986 Karólína Eiríksdóttir: Ferdalag fyrir fingur, for piano, premiere, Reykjavík
Courses and Master Classes
2005 Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie (IEMA), Schwaz, Austria:
Helmut Lachenmann
Ensemble Modern
2004 International Piano Master Classes Óbidos (SIPO), Portugal:
Pierre Réach
Carmen Martinez
Niklas Sivelöv
2004 Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance (SICPP), Boston:
Christian Wolff
John Mark Harris
Shannon Wettstein
Stephen Drury
2003 Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance (SICPP), Boston:
Haydée Schvartz
Shannon Wettstein
2002 Marc Ponthus, 20th century piano performance, Boston
1998 Christoph Prégardien, Schubert´s songs, Münster
1996 Georg Hünteler, baroque music, Münster
1996 Rainer Hoffmann, chamber music, Münster
1996 E. Steen-Nökleberg, Münster
1993 E. Steen-Nökleberg, Reykjavík
1993 Johannes Kropfitsch, Klagenfurt, Austria
1993 Alexander Makarov, Reykjavík
Orchestras
1994 The Youth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Christopher Adey, Reykjavík
1994 Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, cond. Paul Zukofsky, Reykjavík Art Festival
1993 The Youth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Paul Zukofsky, Reykjavík
Selected Recordings
2006 Notturno by Edvard Grieg, TV recording for the news program Kastljós, RUV
2006 Spring concert of the radio show Hlaupanótan, from Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage, RUV
2006 Solo recital at the Dark Music Days festival, RUV
2006 Concert with modern music group Aton, Dark Music Days festival, RUV
2005 From Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage: Samples played and "prepared piano" introduced for the TV cultural program Mósaík, RUV
2005 Solo recital at the Dark Music Days festival, RUV
2004 TV Recording of George Crumb: Makrokosmos, Piece IV, Vol. II
and interview on the TV Program Mósaík, RUV
2004 Debut recital in Salurinn, Iceland, RUV
2002 RUV´s New Year's Concert with the salon-band L´amour fou, RUV
1998 Karólína Eiríksdóttir: Heimkynni vid sjó, RUV
1997 UNM, RUV
CDs
2005 The Icelandic Songs ("Íslensku lögin"), Icelandic tango band L´amour fou, L´amour fou
2002 Atli Heimir Sveinsson: Tíminn og vatnid, with the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, cond. Paul Zukofsky, CPO
1999 Karólína Eiríksdóttir: Heimkynni vid sjó, with Ingibjörg Gudjónsdóttir, soprano, smk 13
Honors
2006 Artist´s Stipend from the Icelandic State
2005 Artist´s Stipend from the Icelandic State
2001 The American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowship, Thor Thors Scholarship
2001 Fulbright Scholarship
Other Activities
2006 Taught a master course with CAPUT members in 20th century music at the Iceland Academy of the Arts
2006- Director of music festival and master courses "Vid Djúpid" in Iceland
2005 Taught a master class at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 20th century piano music
2004 Taught a master course with CAPUT members in 20th century music at the Iceland Academy of the Arts
2003-2004 Accompaniment with woodwinds at the Iceland Academy of the Arts
97-98 Accompaniment with singers at Hochschule für Musik Detmold-Münster