Hafrún Birna Björnsdóttir

violist

Hafrún Birna Björnsdóttir is an Icelandic violist. She completed her advanced violin diploma at the Menntaskólinn í Tónlist (MÍT) in 2020, followed by a final exam on viola in 2021. In the spring of 2024, she earned her B.Mus. degree in viola performance from the Iceland University of the Arts, where she studied under the guidance of Þórunn Ósk Marinósdóttir. During the 2023–2024 academic year, she did an exchange at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in viola performance at the Sibelius Academy under the guidance of Atte Kilpeläinen, principal violist of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hafrún has participated in a wide range of festivals and educational programs, including the Euro Music Festival, Harpa International Music Academy and Opera by the Fjord. She has performed with Orkester Norden and the Erasmus+ Orchestra and has twice served as principal violist of the Ungsveit Sinfóníuhljómsveitar Íslands. She has also worked with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera. In the fall of 2024, she won an internship position with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and performed with the orchestra during the spring of 2025.

In the field of chamber and creative music, Hafrún has been involved in a variety of projects. She twice participated in Listhópar Hins hússins with the project Artemis in 2021 and SPÍRA in 2024. In 2022, she co-funded the ensemble Stundarómur, which toured Iceland and Norway that summer. Hafrún also works with improvisation and original compositions for viola and looper pedal and plans to release her album SPÍRA featuring her own works later this year.

Hafrún performs in

Hafrún is a member of Stundarómur