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Skoða vefinn á Íslensku
Halldór Hansen's Music Day
Every spring, the Iceland Academy of the Arts awards a scholarship from the Halldór Hansen Scholarship Fund to outstanding music students at the school. This time, pianist Oliver Rähni received the award, which was presented at a ceremony in Skriða, the hall of the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in Stakkahlíð yesterday.
On this occasion, Kristín Eysteinsdóttir, Rector, addressed the guests and spoke about the importance of the Halldór Hansen Endowment Fund, which was established in 2002 with Halldór's gift to the Iceland Academy of the Arts. The fund's mission is to preserve his music collection and support outstanding music students annually. It describes how much such support can make a difference in the study, artistic creation and professional development of young musicians.
Although Halldór was a doctor by training, music was the great love of his life, especially singing, and he supported the Icelandic music scene both with his interest and guidance. With the fund, he wanted to ensure that his passion for music lived on and was of use to others. With the support of the fund, the ball is moving forward and the future of music is being shaped.
"We intend to allow this moment here today to be both festive and warm — we intend to enjoy music but also learn and dwell on Halldór's legacy."
Before proceeding any further, the music was allowed to resonate with an accordion duet consisting of Igor Kabala and Matthías Kormáksson, who are students at the Faculty of Music.
They opened the event with the songs Milonga del angel by Astor Piazzola and Comastor by Frank Angelis.
Attention can also be drawn to a concert they will participate in with other world-famous accordion masters on April 18th in Salnur, Kópavogur.
Every year, talks have been given at Halldór Hansen's Music Day, and this year it was Haukur Ingi Jónasson who presented slides and gave a talk entitled Voices of the Soul and Song - Halldór Hansen's Interest in Psychotherapy.
Haukur Ingi Jónasson's slide presentation painted an impressive picture of Halldór Hansen, a physician, culture lover, and deep thinker who worked at the intersection of medicine, psychoanalysis, and art.
Halldór originally intended to devote himself to opera and theater in Paris, but difficult events in his family changed the course of his life. He became a pediatrician, working both in New York and in Iceland, and carrying out his work with great compassion and presence.
Music, especially opera, was never far from him, however. The presentation placed his life in the context of the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, and Donald Winnicott, where music appears as a path to the unconscious, a playground of emotions, and a space of the true self.
Halldór was known for listening more than he spoke and provided both professional and personal comfort to many. He died in Reykjavík in the summer of 2003, but his legacy lives on in his connection to art, music, and humanity.
Following Haukur's presentation, Pétur Jónasson, Dean of the Department of Music, presented the selection of this year's grantees. He also spoke about his meeting with Oliver a few years ago when he began his studies at the school and his career up to this moment.
Oliver Rähni began piano studies at the age of 8 at the Bolungarvík Music School with Tuuli Rähni. During these years of study, he was selected three times to perform in Eldborg in Harpa at the final festival of Nótunn. There he received, among other things, special recognition for an original work in an outstanding performance. Oliver completed his advanced studies in 2022 with the highest grade.
Since 2023, he has been studying for a bachelor's degree in piano at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, under the guidance of Peters Máté and Edda Erlendsdóttir. Oliver has performed as a soloist both in Iceland and abroad, including in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Ireland, Poland and Spain. He has performed solo with orchestras such as the Kyiv Soloists in Eldborg in Harpa, the Pärnu City Orchestra and the KRATT Music Festival Symphony Orchestra in Estonia.
In the fall of 2025, he won 1st place in his age group at the 9th EPTA Piano Competition. Oliver has also appeared on both television and radio in Iceland.
Oliver plans to further his music studies abroad, at the master's level.
Oliver Rähni's graduation concert will be held in Salnur, Kópavogur on April 26th.
