The Icelandic mezzo-soprano Gudrún Ólafsdóttir (Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir) has performed across Europe and in the U.S.A., Latin America and Africa in such halls as Bozar’s Henry le Boeuf Hall in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid, Madrid’s Teatro Real, the Buenos Aires Coliseo, St. Petersburg’s Philharmonia’s Glinka Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London. She has performed as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, the Community of Madrid Orchestra, the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.

 

Gudrun has sung the title role in Montsalvatge’s opera El Gato con Botas for Teatro Real in Madrid. Other operatic roles, at the Icelandic Opera and abroad, include Cenerentola, Dorabella, Rosina, Romeo, Lazuli, Prince Orlowsky, Purcell’s Dido, Mozart’s Sesto and Der Komponist.

 

Gudrun performs regularly with her husband, the classical guitarist and composer Francisco Javier Jáuregui, and Sonor Ensemble, which includes members from the Spanish National Orchestra.

 

Gudrún studied at the Reykjavík College of Music under Ruth Magnússon, before moving to London, where she completed a Master of Music degree and the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She furthered her studies privately with mezzo-soprano Alicia Nafé in Madrid.

 

Gudrún has won numerous prizes for her singing, including the Joaquín Rodrigo Prize in Madrid, the Lieder Prize in the Zamora International Singing Competition in Spain, the Miriam Licette Scholarship at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, third prize in Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra in Rome and the Kathleen Ferrier Song Prize at the Wigmore Hall in London. She has been nominated as the Singer of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards and received the Icelandic government’s Artist Salary numerous times.

 

Gudrún has recorded extensively, for Icelandic National Radio and TV, the BBC, Spanish National Radio and TV, movies and TV shows. Her singing can be heard in 19 albums, including six full albums with guitarist Francisco Javier Jáuregui.

 

An exponent of new music, Gudrún has offered world premières of works by a number of composers of different nationalities, who have composed their works specially for her. She created the role of Ingibjörg in the acclaimed opera Ragnheiður by Gunnar Thórdarson (Þórðarson) and the title role in the opera Lilith, luna negra by David del Puerto, recipient of the Spanish National Music Prize.

 

Gudrún was the Artistic Director of the Kirkjubaejarklaustur Chamber Music Festival for 11 years, before founding and co-directing with Francisco Javier Jáuregui in 2017 the summer music festival Sönghátíð í Hafnarborg (Hafnarborg Songfest), which they have directed annually ever since. Gudrún has taught singing at Saint Louis University Madrid Campus, Tónlistarskóli Kópavogs and Söngskóli Sigurðar Demetz. She was appointed Director of Söngskólinn í Reykjavík (The Reykjavík Academy of Singing) in autumn 2024.