CV

CV

Tinna Thorsteinsdóttir already has a broad experience with new music and has premiered around 40 compositions especially written for her in the last few years. She works on a regular basis with many Icelandic composers, is active in the Icelandic experimental music scene and has worked with composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Morton Subotnick, Evan Ziporyn, Christian Wolff and Greg Davis.

Educated as a classical pianist Tinna plays all the different styles of the piano repertoire, although 21st century music is her main passion. Prepared piano, electronics, toy piano and theatre pieces often show up on her programs.

Her major performances include solo recitals at the Bergen International Festival in Norway in the series Young Platform at the Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen, Reykjavík Arts Festival, Autunno Musicale music festival in Capua – Italy, Nordischer Klang festival in Greifswald – Germany, Foundling Museum in London, The Chinese University in Hong Kong, GL Strand museum in Copenhagen, Summit Club in Beijing, the Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Raflost electronic arts festival in Iceland, 15:15 music series in Iceland, Vid Djúpid festival in Ísafjördur – Iceland and several recitals at the Dark Music Days festival in Iceland.

Other performances include solo performances at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Messiaen Festival in Stavanger – Norway, in Portugal, Austria, Boston and Paris and a duo performance at the Bang on a Can Marathon in San Francisco.

Tinna studied in Hannover and Münster in Germany before taking on further studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with Stephen Drury, where she completed her Graduate Diploma. She received a Fulbright scholarship and the Thor Thors grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation and has four times received an Artist Stipend from the Icelandic State. Tinna has participated in several courses and had private lessons with pianists such as Mme Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Peter Hill, Håkon Austbø and Pierre Réach. Her first solo CD Granit Games with Icelandic piano music was released in 2007 with Bad Taste Records. Tinna is the founder of and curates the new music series Jadarber in Reykjavík Art Museum.

The year 2010 saw the premieres of 13 Icelandic piano works in various concerts. Among them was the premiere of Sonorities II from 1968 by late composer Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson. Tinna played Jóhannsson´s complete Sonorities series in the concert featured at the Raflost electronic arts festival, which was dedicated to the memory of the composer. A major event in 2010 was the Icelandic premiere of Gérard Grisey´s masterpiece Vortex Temporum with the Formalist Quartet at the Reykjavík Arts Festival. Tinna also played Icelandic piano music widely abroad in 2010. She gave a recital at the Foundling Museum in London on the Icelandic National Day and in Hong Kong at The Chinese University. The latter concert was part of a concert tour to China, continuing in Shanghai, where she played at the World Expo on the special Iceland Day. In Shanghai she played at the official opening ceremony hosted by President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and at the Icelandic Pavilion.

In 2011 Tinna premiered the solo part of Hlynur Aðils Vilmarsson´s Héxíé for piano, string orchestra and sinus waves with the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra at the Dark Music Days festival.