Schola cantorum
Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis was founded in 1996 by the conductor Hörður Áskelsson, the cantor at Hallgrímskirkja (Hallgrim’s Church) in Reykjavík. Schola Cantorum has from the very start played an important role in the Icelandic music scene with a repertoire that consists mainly of renaissance, baroque and contemporary music including numerous premier performances of works by Icelandic composers.
Schola Cantorum has given concerts in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, France, Japan and USA. In 2017 Schola Cantorum was invited by Los Angeles Philharmonic to sing 4 concerts in Walt Disney Concert Hall during Reykjavík Festival in LA.
The choir can be heard in many recordings including complete choral/orchestral works of Icelandic composer Jón Leifs issued by Swedish label BIS. The choir has also worked with artists such as Björk, Sigur Rós, Jóhann Jóhannson, and Swedish experimental band Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Schola Cantorum appears widely on the musical spectrum. For instance the choir sings in the soundtrack of the action-adventure video game God of War released by Sony in April 2018.
In 2007 the choir was nominated to the Nordic cultural price and in 2009 it was appointed the Music Group of Reykjavík. In March 2017 Schola Cantorum was appointed by Iceland Music Awards as the Performer of the Year 2016.
DISCOGRAPHY
PRINCIPIUM (1999): Music from renaissance by Tallis, Byrd, Schein and Gesualdo.
AUDI CREATOR COELI (2001): Icelandic contemporary church music.
HALLGRÍMSPASSÍA (2011): Hallgrims Passion, an oratorio by Sigurður Sævarsson (b. 1963), based on Hallgrimur Petursson´s Passion Hymns.
FOLDARSKART (2012): Fifteen Icelandic choral favorites.
CHORAL WORKS OF HAFLIÐI HALLGRIMSSON (2013): A selection of choral music by the celebrated Icelandic composer Hafliði Hallgrímsson (b. 1941).
MEDITATIO (2016): Expressive works from twentieth and twenty-first centuries which interpret grief and bereavement in the light of hope and comfort.
PSALMI NOVI SAECULI (2017): The poetry of Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson (b. 1955) and the a capella music of Jazz performer and composer Sigurður Flosason (b. 1964) celebrate wide-ranging reflections on prayer, happiness, sorrow, seasons, days and lifetimes.
See further information on www.scholacantorum.is
Hörður Áskelsson
Conductor and Artistic leader