A event on Wednesday 16th July. The event starts at 19:00.
Bara Grimsdottir will explore and share the Icelandic rímur ballad and tvísöngur traditions. These make up a very large part of the singing traditions of Iceland and go back many centuries. Rímur are very long, epic solo sung narratives. Tvísöngur are two voice harmony songs, singing in parallel fifths, with the voices crossing over. Following the workshop we will have a ballad singing session including Icelandic ballads from Bara, and the invitation for others to share and sing ballads from UK or other traditions.
As well as teaching this workshop, Bara will be leading workshops at the Pitchfolk weekend on 18-20 July, alongside workshops of Slavic and Yiddish songs from Polina Shepherd, and English folk songs from Marion Fleetwood. Further details here: https://buytickets.at/pitchblend/1439268
Bara Grimsdottir
Bára was born in Blönduós in the north of Iceland in 1960 and grew up surrounded by the folk songs of her parents and grandparents in the family farm, Grímstunga in Vatnsdalur. Bára has a deep, lifelong involvement with the traditional folk music of Iceland, performing, recording, touring and teaching. She has been the chairperson of Iðunn (the rímur songs and ballad organisation) since 2015 and she instigated the national Day of Rímur songs, held each year on the 15 September.
On the 17 June 2019, Bára was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Falcon, by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. The honour was awarded 'For protecting and re-newing the traditional music of Iceland'. Alongside the music that she grew up hearing in an oral tradition, Bára began her formal music education at age seven in the Barnamúsikskólinn í Reykjavík. Later she went on to qualify as a music teacher, starting her conducting career straight out of college in her early twenties. She then continued her studies in the Department of Composition and Theory at Reykjavík College of Music, which led on to five more years of post graduate studies in Holland, where she studied composition with Louis Andriessen amongst others. Bára is widely respected as a composer, especially of vocal music, in her native country. Her works have been widely performed and recorded in Iceland and abroad. Virgo Gloriosa an album of her choral music, was nominated in the Iceland Music Awards in 2003. Her choral works have been performed and recorded by choirs in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland and England as well as in Iceland.
Bára has written many pieces for vocal groups and choirs. She has composed instrumental music for solo instruments, small and medium sized ensembles, and orchestras. She has also composed an opera and music for theatre. In 2001 she teamed up with English folk musician Chris Foster and formed the duo Funi, that has recorded, toured and taught widely in Europe and North America. In her role as composer, arranger and teacher, Bára continues to draw on the well of traditional Icelandic music, for example the unique Tvísöngur songs, many in lydian mode, where voices sing in parallel fifths and also cross over. As a performer, she invests the traditional songs that she performs with a natural authority born out of her having been surrounded by them from birth.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
As well as teaching this workshop, Bara will be leading workshops at the Pitchfolk weekend on 18-20 July, alongside workshops of Slavic and Yiddish songs from Polina Shepherd, and English folk songs from Marion Fleetwood. Further details here: https://buytickets.at/pitchblend/1439268
Bara Grimsdottir
Bára was born in Blönduós in the north of Iceland in 1960 and grew up surrounded by the folk songs of her parents and grandparents in the family farm, Grímstunga in Vatnsdalur. Bára has a deep, lifelong involvement with the traditional folk music of Iceland, performing, recording, touring and teaching. She has been the chairperson of Iðunn (the rímur songs and ballad organisation) since 2015 and she instigated the national Day of Rímur songs, held each year on the 15 September.
On the 17 June 2019, Bára was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Falcon, by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. The honour was awarded 'For protecting and re-newing the traditional music of Iceland'. Alongside the music that she grew up hearing in an oral tradition, Bára began her formal music education at age seven in the Barnamúsikskólinn í Reykjavík. Later she went on to qualify as a music teacher, starting her conducting career straight out of college in her early twenties. She then continued her studies in the Department of Composition and Theory at Reykjavík College of Music, which led on to five more years of post graduate studies in Holland, where she studied composition with Louis Andriessen amongst others. Bára is widely respected as a composer, especially of vocal music, in her native country. Her works have been widely performed and recorded in Iceland and abroad. Virgo Gloriosa an album of her choral music, was nominated in the Iceland Music Awards in 2003. Her choral works have been performed and recorded by choirs in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland and England as well as in Iceland.
Bára has written many pieces for vocal groups and choirs. She has composed instrumental music for solo instruments, small and medium sized ensembles, and orchestras. She has also composed an opera and music for theatre. In 2001 she teamed up with English folk musician Chris Foster and formed the duo Funi, that has recorded, toured and taught widely in Europe and North America. In her role as composer, arranger and teacher, Bára continues to draw on the well of traditional Icelandic music, for example the unique Tvísöngur songs, many in lydian mode, where voices sing in parallel fifths and also cross over. As a performer, she invests the traditional songs that she performs with a natural authority born out of her having been surrounded by them from birth.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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