Öldutúnsskóli Choir celebrates 60 years with a major concert
Over 100 people will take to the stage at Harpa when the Öldutúnsskóli choir holds a major concert to celebrate its 60th consecutive anniversary. Former and current choir members will perform. The concert will take place on Sunday, 24th May at 4 p.m.
Öldutúnsskóli Choir 60th Anniversary
Over 100 current and former choir members will take to the stage at Harpa for a major concert by the Öldutúnsskóli choir on 24 May. The choir is the oldest active children's choir in the country. Egill Friðleifsson, the choir's founder, was a pioneer in ambitious choral work with children. Brynhildur Auðbjargardóttir then took over the choir in 2005, having herself sung in the choir for a decade.
„No such demands had ever been made of children's choirs in Iceland before Egill took over. At that time, children were just finishing their lessons and there wasn't much for them to do. There was a lot of rehearsing, three times a week and during the summers. He opened up a new world for us through music.“
Many appear with the choir
Margrét Eir, Guðrún Árný, Hanna Björk Guðjónsdóttir and her daughter Björg Birgisdóttir, the siblings Ívar, Pálín Dögg and Thelma Hlín Helgabörn, Ívar's daughter Erla Mist Magnúsdóttir, Erla Jónatansdóttir, Steiney Einarsdóttir, daughter of Pálín Dögg, and Sigríður Tinna Bjarnadóttir will come.
Brynhildur describes when she herself started taking part in the choir. „I move to Hafnarfjörður when I'm seven years old. Then everyone asks me if I'm not going to join the choir. I thought: What is that? Yes, yes, was the answer. Then there was an audition, and I started in the choir when I was eight and was in it until I was eighteen. I love choir work and I still sing in a choir,“ she says, describing trips abroad and intensive rehearsals, often several times a week and during the summer.
„We were introduced to different pieces of music that we wouldn't otherwise have access to. We went to China, Australia, all over the place,“ says Brynhildur in the run-up to these major concerts. Now, choir work is under threat.
Choirs increase empathy
„Kids are in lots of music lessons, they go abroad with their parents, they're more global citizens than we were.“ The choir movement is struggling against sport.
„The choir work is being lost,“ says Brynhildur, „but children learn so much from being in a choir. It's a completely different kind of work to what children are used to, and empathy is sparked by the singing. Such a great friendship develops,“ she says.
But what will be sung? „Favourite songs of choir members through the years,“ she says. The children, for example, were allowed to make suggestions. „I was surprised by how many of the songs they chose were so lovely,“ she says. But the icing on the cake is a new piece of music.
„We are premiering a new song by composer Finn Karlsson, who has written extensively for choirs.“
Intensive rehearsals are currently underway. When a representative from the City of Hafnarfjörður dropped by the other day, the choir was practising two gems that our Björgvin Halldórsson sang so beautifully.