Tuesday, 3 December at 12 We welcome you to the last lunchtime concert of the year at Hafnarborg, but this time there will be Iris Björk Gunnarsdóttir, soprano, guest Antonia Hevesi, pianist and artistic director of the concert series. Then, Íris Björk and Antonía will present a programme entitled „Christmas Arias“, in which they will perform compositions by Gounod, Puccini, Verdi and Catalani.

Iris Björk Gunnarsdóttir, a soprano, graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and subsequently studied for one year at the Stockholm Opera Studio, graduating with a master's degree from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts in the summer of 2023. For the 2023-2024 season, she was engaged by Den Norske Opera & Ballett and performed the role of Annina in The Tragedy, Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Sister Mathilde in Dialogues of the Carmelites. In the autumn of 2024, she sang the role of Sylva in The Csárdás Princess after Kálmán in Bodø and Tromsø, as well as being in the chorus of the Reykjavík Opera Days. In the spring of 2025, she will then take the lead role in the world premiere of a new opera by Stian Westerhus, Phenix, directed by Lisa Lie at the Norwegian National Opera.

Íris Björk has received numerous scholarships in Iceland, Sweden and Norway. Notable among these are the Halldór Hansen Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, the Tom Wilhelmsen Scholarship in Norway, and the Ruud-Wallenberg Scholarship in Sweden. Iris Björk won the singing competition Vox Domini in January 2018, receiving the title of „Voice of the Year“. She was also among the winners of Young Soloists in the spring of 2021 and performed at the concert of the same name with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Iris Björk is based in Oslo.

Antonia Hevesi, a pianist, has been the artistic director of the lunchtime concerts at Hafnarborg since their inception, and they have been a regular feature of the museum's programme since 2003. There, Antonía has been joined by many of the country's leading singers, with the aim of the concerts being to give visitors the opportunity to enjoy live music at their leisure. The lunchtime concerts are usually held on the first Tuesday of each month during the winter season.

The concert starts at 12 noon and will last for about half an hour. The venue opens at 11:30 am and the concert is open to all, subject to capacity. Admission is free.