Daníel Bjarnason

Daníel Bjarnason (born 26 February 1979[1]) is a composer and conductor from Iceland. Bjarnason studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the University of Music, Freiburg.[2] He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic.[3][4][5]

He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, Processions (2010), with Time Out NY declaring that Bjarnason "create(s) a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music's undefinable brave new world."[6]

Daníel Bjarnason is currently composer in residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven[7] and was artist in residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. His versatility has given him the opportunity to collaborate with respected artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost,[8] Sigur Ros[9] and Brian Eno.[10]

Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work; including Gustavo Dudamel,[11] John Adams,[12] André de Ridder,[13] James Conlon[14] Louis Langrée[15] and Ilan Volkov.[16]

Bjarnason's recent work has included collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,[17] Rambert Dance Company,[18] Britten Sinfonia,[19] Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,[20] So Percussion[21] and the Calder Quartet.[22] In August 2017, he acted as a co-curator, composer and conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Reykjavik Festival.[23]