Biography

After completing her bachelor's degree with honors, Icelandic Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir concluded her studies in 2021 with a Master of Music at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin.
Not only is she a winner of various competitions and was named Singer of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2021, among others, she was also allowed to represent Iceland at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition 2021. Her debut album ‘Poems’ will be released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2023.
The album is a joint project with the Icelandic composer, conductor and producer Viktor Orri Árnason. Together they have created songs in which they set the poetry of Icelandic poets from the past and present to music, including their own texts.

Álfheiður gave her opera debut at the Staatsoper Berlin in the title role of Wolfgang Mitterer's Snow White, followed by Papagena in Mozart's Magic Flute in 2019.
In 2020, she made her debut with the role of the Angel in Olivier Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise at Theater Basel, following on from this success, she became a permanent member of the Basel ensemble and has since made her debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto and appeared in staged productions of the St Matthew Passion, Haydn's Creation and the Mozart Requiem. She was equally successful in Philip Glass / Einstein on the Beach and as Drusilla / L'incoronazione di Poppea.
In Basel, she has worked with conductors such as Alessandro de Marchi, Laurence Cummings, Ivor Bolton, Michele Spotti and Jörg Halubek, coupled with intensive collaboration with directors such as Benedikt von Peter, Susanne Kennedy, Romeo Castellucci, Christoph Marthaler, Vincent Huguet and Thomas Verstraeten.
Besides an invitation to Theater Dortmund for the premiere of “Der Hetzer” from Bernhard Lang, a further opera guest performance with contemporary music will lead her to the Theater Wien in the future. 

Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir will be starting off the 24/25 season with performances of the  Waldvogel in the Siegfried premiere of Wagner's RING, directed by Benedikt von Peter and conducted by Jonathan Nott at the Theater Basel.  This will be followed by the new production of Stephen Sondheim's fast-paced musical Into the Woods, in which she will portray Cinderella under the musical direction of Thomas Wise and Martin G. Berger. In 2025, she can then be seen in another premiere of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as Belinda and 2nd Witch, this time conducted by Johannes Keller and directed by Franck Chartier.
For the 2025/26 season, 
Álfheiður has been nominated by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) as part of the ‘Rising Stars’ programme. She will tour Europe with a programme of her own choice together with 5 other promising artists and perform in the most prestigious concert halls in 14 countries.  

 

Artist Website

www.alfheidurerla.com

Management

General Management

Artist Manager
 
 
 
 
Natascha van Randenborgh
Associate Director
natascha@orlob.net 
Mobil: +49-173-7 76 88 20
 

Repertoire

Repertoire Concert

Bach St Matthew Passion
Beethoven Mass in C Major
Haydn The Creation
Mozart Requiem
Orff  Carmina Burana 
Scarlatti. A. La Vergine Addolorata
 

Repertoire Opera

Beethoven Fidelio Marzelline
Chorny, Alex Tolleranzia Luise
Glass Einstein on the Beach Solo Soprano
Haydn Il mondo della luna Flaminia
Händel Agrippina Poppea 
Kryeziu, Anda Persona Alma
Künneke, E. Der Vetter aus Dingsda Hannchen
Lang, Bernhard Der Hetzer Desirée
Monteverdi L'incoronazione di Poppea Drusilla
    Poppea
Messiaen St. Francois d'Assise L'Ange
Mozart Die Zauberflöte Papagena
  Le nozze di Figaro Susanna
Strauss II Die Fledermaus Rosalinde
Strauss, R. Ariadne auf Naxos  Echo
Verdi Don Carlos Une voix céleste
  Rigoletto Gilda
     

News

"Rising Star" of the 2025/26 ECHO season 
Following her CD release ‘Poems’ on Deutsche Grammophon and after captivating premieres at the Theater Basel, including the role of Drusilla in Monteverdi's "L'incoronazione di Poppea" (Christoph Marthaler / Laurence Cummings) and the Mozart Requiem (Romeo Castellucci / Ivor Bolton), soprano Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir is receiving a special recognition: 
She has just been nominated by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) for the 25/26 concert season as part of "Rising Stars".
Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir is one of the six most promising artists who will tour Europe with a programme of their own choice and perform in the most prestigious ECHO-halls in 23 concert halls in 14 countries.

Te decet hymnus - Mozart Requiem at Theater Basel
Álfheiður Erla Gudjonsdottir sings the soprano role in Romeo Castellucci's acclaimed production, which has now also premiered at the Theater Basel.
Ivor Bolton is at the podium.
Premiere on the 20th of April 2024, further performance dates and information:

www.theater-basel.ch 

In Marthaler's "L'incoronazione die Poppea" in Basel
Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir sings and plays the role of Drusilla brilliantly alongside colleagues such as Jake Arditti as Nerone, Kerstin Avemo's Poppea and Anne Sofie von Otter's Ottavia in Christoph Marthaler's unusual new production of Claudio Monteverdi's "L'Incoronazione di Poppea" in the premiere on 3 March 2024 at Theater Basel. Laurence Cummings conducts the Barockorchester La Cetra. 

Trailer: 
www.youtube.com/...
 
Next performances:
23.03./  07.04./  14.04./  21.04./  28.04./ 10.05./  23.05.2024
CD release "Poems" at Deutsche Grammophon
On November 10th 2023, "Poems", the debut album by Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir, is released on Deutsche Grammophon!
The album is a joint project with Icelandic composer, conductor and producer Viktor Orri Árnason and is an exploration of the cultural heritage of the two.
The album features ten pieces in which the poetry of Icelandic poets from the past and present is set to music, featuring also texts of their own.

The release on November 10th is celebrated with an intimate showcase event in Berlin on the release day, where the two artists will perform a selection of the songs live.

The album is released on CD, vinyl and digitally and is available directly from Deutsche Grammophon:
www.store.deutschegrammophon.com/...

Press

 

L'incoronazione di Poppea / Theater Basel / 04.03.2024 / bzbasel.ch


"The lively Drusilla is in best hands with Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir." 
 

Saint François d'Assise / Theater Basel / 16.10.20 / br-klassik.de


"Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir gibt einen wunderbaren Engel" 

 

Saint François d'Assise / Theater Basel / 18.10.2020 Neue Zürcher Zeitung


Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir mit ihrem schlackenlosen Sopran und wunderbarem Legato 
Download (High Resolution) 
X
loading...