Erna Vala

Erna Vala Arnardóttir pianist is founder and artistic director of Seigla. Erna Vala's performance career is marked by solo performances with orchestras and appearances at festivals worldwide. Notable events include the Ung Nordisk Musik Festival and Nordic Music Days in Reykjavík, Culture Night, Sígildir Sunnudagar, ISO's Our Classics and Seigla at Harpa Concert Hall, Last Rose of Summer in Germany, Concertos Comentarios, SIPO, Porto Pianofest in Portugal, Við Djúpið in Ísafjörður, Fulbright Arctic Initiative in Washington D.C., and the Albignac Piano Festival in France, among others. Erna Vala performs with various chamber groups such as the piano quartet No Name Ensemble and the chamber ensemble Elja. Erna Vala won the Young Soloists Competition of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and the EPTA Piano Competition in Iceland in 2015. She was awarded the White Rose, a Finnish medal of honor, by President Sauli Niinistö in 2018 and a Fulbright Fellowship in 2019. Erna Vala holds a master's degree in piano performance from the Sibelius Academy earned in 2019 under the guidance of Hamsa Juris. Additionally, she received a master's degree in music education from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2023. She also holds a bachelor's degree and a junior department diploma in piano performance at the Iceland University of the Arts, where she studied with Peter Máté. She is currently based in London working on PhD Performance Research at Royal Academy of Music. As an enthusiastic advocate for fostering positive communities, Erna Vala serves as the founder and president of the Icelandic Schumann Society. This non-profit cultural foundation is dedicated to supporting a healthy and active music scene in Iceland. Erna Vala’s website: https://www.ernavala.is/

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