Daníel Bjarnason
Daníel Bjarnason (born 26 February 1979) is an Icelandic composer and conductor. He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, "Processions" (2010), with TimeOut NY writing he "create(s) a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music's undefinable brave new world". Life and career. Born on 26 February 1979, Daníel studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the University of Music, Freiburg. He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Daníel is currently composer-in-residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits  Philips, Eindhoven and was artist in residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. He has also collaborated with respected artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost, Sigur Ros and Brian Eno. Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work, including Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, André de Ridder, James Conlon, Louis Langrée and Ilan Volkov. Daníel's recent work has included collaborations with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rambert Dance Company, Britten Sinfonia, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, So Percussion and the Calder Quartet. In August 2017, he acted as a co-curator, composer and conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic 's Reykjavik Festival. Awards. Daníel Bjarnason has won numerous awards at the Icelandic Music Awards, including Song Of The Year (2015) for "Ek ken di nag" and Composer of the Year, 2013 for his works "The Isle Is Full of Noises" and "Over Light Earth". "Over Light Earth" (2013) won the Icelandic Music Award for the best classical CD of the year in 2013. Also in 2013, he and Ben Frost won the Edda Award for best soundtrack for their score to film "The Deep", directed by Baltasar Kormákur. In 2010, Daníel nominated for the prestigious Nordic Council's Music  Prize, and won the Kraumur Music Award. Daníel has also been awarded a grant from the Kristján Eldjárn Memorial Fund.