Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir - ECHO Rising Star

The Icelandic soprano Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir is an eclectic artist who dazzles audiences in both classical operas and contemporary productions. She has made various recordings for the Deutsche Grammophon label alongside the pianist Vikingur Ólafsson and with the composer and producer Viktor Orri Árnason. The singer has been nominated by Harpa Reykjavík and the Luxembourg Philharmonic as an ECHO Rising Star for the ’25-’26 season, and she is coming to Brussels as part of her European tour. She will perform Apparition with the exceptional Indian American pianist Kunal Lahiry. In this programme, she interweaves the cycle of the same name by George Crumb – based on poems by Walt Whitman – with melodies by Jean Sibelius and traditional Icelandic songs. Against a backdrop of alternating acoustic and emotional landscapes, the programme broaches profound themes such as the transience of life, the inevitability of death and the hope of an afterlife. 

Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir has been named 'Rising Star' for the '25-'26 season by Harpa Reykjavík and the Philharmonie Luxembourg as part of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) network. During her European tour, the artist has been invited to perform at Bozar and to give a private concert for the residents of Petit-Château (refugee arrival centre), in collaboration with the Fedasil and Orfeo associations.