Every spring, the Iceland University of the Arts awards a grant from Halldór Hansen's Scholarship Fund to outstanding music students at the school. This time, singer BryndísÁsta Magnúsdóttir received the award, which was awarded at a ceremony in Skriða, the LHÍ hall in Stakkahlíð. On this occasion, Kristín Eysteinsdóttir, rector, addressed guests and told about the unique man, Halldór Hansen, who gave his belongings to the Iceland University of the Arts with various conditions, including that the school chooses an outstanding graduate student every year in the field of classical music performance (song or instrumental) and the same person would receive an award with a monetary gift.
„Halldór was a remarkable man, he completed his official degree in medicine from the University of Iceland and then went abroad to New York for a candidate's program where he specialized in pediatrics and child psychiatry. He moved to Reykjavík, where he worked at Reykjavík Health Protection Center and took over the medical position of the infant control there in 1961, a position he held throughout his working life.
Music was the great passion in Halldór's life, but he was always very interested in music, especially singing, and had an enormous collection of records with classical music. From childhood, it was his passion to attend concerts and opera performances, in Iceland and around the world.
Singers who sang from the heart were always held in high esteem by Halldór, and some of the very leading ones became his good friends. He wrote a lot about singing and musical issues in newspapers and magazines alike. He taught at the Singing School in Reykjavík for years and was an artistic advisor to the Music Society in Reykjavík and the Icelandic Opera. “
After the rector's address, Ólafur Freyr Birkisson, the fund's beneficiary in 2023, took the stage together with his co-star, Matthilda Anna Gísladóttir.
After a beautiful song, Magnús Lyngdal gave the talk The Original School of Classical Music. Pétur Jónsson, dean of the Department of Music, also remembered Halldór, but he remembered that when he himself was young and had just returned from his studies, he discovered that there were individuals around him who created a network for support, encouragement and safety. In this network he listed several names and, among them, Halldór's name Hansen. He remembered Halldór in beautiful words, „what one remembers most is how much warmth it radiated from him, his presence and encouragement were both good and nurturing“.“
„Bryndís Ásta is an extremely promising singer with a lot of radiance and a good connection to the music. It is a real pleasure for us to give her a grant from Halldór Hansen's Scholarship Fund and thus support her continuation on a magnificent musical journey“, said Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, director of singing at LHÍ. The grant from Halldór Hansen's Scholarship Fund is an important recognition of the talents and energy of a young artist and an important contribution to continued learning and development in classical singing.
Bryndís Ásta started her classical singing studies at the age of fifteen under the guidance of Guðrún Jóhanna Jónsdóttir, Guðrún Dalía Salómonsdóttir and Þóra Björnsdóttir at Garðabær's Music School and completed her advanced degree from there. She started studying at the Iceland University of the Arts in the fall of 2022, where she has been guided by experienced teachers such as Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Dísella Lárusdóttir, Kolbein Ketilsson and Matthilda Anna Gísladóttir. In addition, she spent the past fall on an exchange program at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
„This fall Bryndís Ásta returns to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm where she will start a master's degree in singing, but it should be noted that only two people from a large group of applicants were admitted this time“, says Hanna Dóra „She has attracted attention for her powerful stage presence and diverse projects, including roles in operas by Mozart, Strauss and Caccini, the premiere of a new opera by Ea Wiimh and performances of Schumann's poetry categories. She has also participated in music festivals at home and abroad and is standing herself at the town and art festival Räkkvan in Garðabær. This summer, she sings with the Young Nordic Opera Choir at opera festivals in Denmark, Sweden and at Opera Days in Iceland“.“
Below you can see pictures from the ceremony.
