Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, soprano Thora Einarsdottir studied at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Reykjavik Academy of Singing. She studied voice with Laura Sarti and Olof Kolbrun Hardardottir.
Thora has performed at the Icelandic Opera, Malmo Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera, Opera North, Opera Factory, in Mannheim, Nuremberg, Karlsruhe, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Berlin, Prague and Salzburg. Thora was a member of the ensemble at Hessische Staatstheater Wiesbaden from 2001-2008. Roles include Gilda (Rigoletto), Violetta (La Traviata), Mimí, (La Bohème), Michaela, (Carmen), Adina (L’elisir d’amore) and Marie (La fille du regiment), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Ilia (Idomeneo), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Nannetta (Falstaff), Ännchen (Der Freischütz), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel),and Lucia (The Rape of Lucretria).
Thora has performed in concerts with the Icelandic Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bach Collegium München, Rundfunk–Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, The Philharmonia Orchestra and in venues such as the Philharmonie am Gasteig in Munich, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Center as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington and the Weil Recital Hall in New York. She has worked with conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Osmo Vänska, Lothar Zagrosek, Christipher Warren-Green, Sir Elgar Howarth, Pinchas Steinberg, Edward Gardner, Robin Stableton, Marc Piollet, Jonathan Darlington, Nicholas Kok, John Fiore and Paul Goodwin.
Her wide recording experience includes a recent world premier recording of
Offenbach’s Vert-Vert for Opera Rara with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by David Parry. She has also recorded for Swedish record label “BIS” and for radio and CDs in her native country Iceland.
Recent highlights include Mozart Requiem, Handel´s Messiah and Bach’s Christmas-Oratorio with Münchener Bach-Chor and Bach Collegium München conducted by Hansjörg Albrecht, Beethoven´s Mass in C and Schubert´s Mass in E flat major with the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn conducted by Stefan Blunier. Beethoven’s 9th with Duisburger Philharmonikern and Ainars Rubikis and Bach’s Johannespassion with Hordur Askelsson and the Motet Choir of Hallgrimskirkja, Kullervo by Sibelius with Petri Sakari and The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo with Lothar Zagrosek and The Tonkünstler- Orchester in Austria. At the Icelandic Opera she recently sang the roles of Gilda in Rigoletto, Pamina in the Magic Flute, Mimi in La Bohème and most recently the title role of Gunnar Thordarsson’s new opera Ragnheidur to a critical acclaim.
Thora has received many awards and honours for her artistic presentations, including The Order of the Falcon, Knight from the President of Iceland and The Order of Dannebrog, Knight from the Queen of Denmark.