ANNA MARÍA BJÖRNSDÓTTIR
ABOUT
I am an Icelandic singer and composer. I lived in Denmark for 10 years but recently moved back to Iceland.
Releases
A documentary film: Hver stund með þér - my grandfathers love poems to my grandmother over 60 years (2015). Premiered on RIFF 2015 - Reykjavík International film festival. The film was premiered on TV in Iceland in january 2020.
Hver stund með þér - my grandfathers love poems to my grandmother over 60 years (2015). An album released on Nordic Notes
IKI - LAVA (2014) - album
Saknað fornaldar (2012) An album released on Nordic Notes
IKI - IKI (2011) An album that won Danish Music Awards (2011)
HVER STUND MEÐ ÞÉR
My grandfathers love poems to my grandmother over the period of 60 years (the album)
On “Hver stund með þér” (2015) I wrote music to love poems that my grandfather, Ólafur Björn Guðmundsson, wrote to my grandmother, Elín Maríusdóttir, over the period of 60 years. No one knew these love poems existed untill shortly before my grandparents both passed away. The love poems are written over the period of 60 years and show how they’re love developed over that time.
Svavar Knútur Kristinsson worked and sang with me on the album.
Musicians on the album are: Anna María Björnsdóttir, Svavar Knútur Kristinsson, Andri Ólafsson, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, Grímur Helgason, Margrét Arnardóttir, Björn Már Ólafsson, Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir.
HVER STUND MEÐ ÞÉR
The documentary film
The documentary film “Hver stund með þér” is about the love poems that my grandfather wrote to my grandmother over the period of 60 years. The film was directed by Sigríður Þóra Ásgeirsdóttir and was made partly in collaboration with Tjarnargatan. The film was premiered on RIFF (Reykjavík international film festival) in 2015. It was broadcasted on Icelands national tv channel (RÚV) in january 2020.
SAKNAÐ FORNALDAR
(Missing ancient time) - Music to old Icelandic poems
Saknað fornaldar is my first soloalbum, released in Iceland and Germany on Nordic Notes in 2012-2013. On Saknað fornaldar I wrote music to old Icelandic poems.
I wrote the music while living in Copenhagen. Almost all of the poets that wrote the poems on the album also lived in Copenhagen, just 100-300 years earlier than me. I found the poems in poetry books I inherited from my grandparents. These books were printed also in Copenhagen by students around the year 1940.
Hilmar Jensson guitarist worked with me me on the project.
Musicians on the album: Anna María, Hilmar Jensson, Tómas Jónsson, Matthías Hemstock, Valdimar Olgeirsson, Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir and Þórir Jóhannsson.
IKI
IKI
I was in the Nordic vocal improvisation group IKI for 6 years. The concept in the band was that all music was always improvised, at concerts and during recording. In IKI I got to know the many facets of the voice. We xplored the voice in various settings and experimented with what the voice can do. I played numerous concerts with IKI during this period.
IKI-LAVA (2014) - special guest Hilmar Jensson guitarist. The music and lyrics on the album were improvised in studio in Iceland in 2012 over 3 days. The best peaces were chosen to be on the album.
IKI-IKI (2011) Winner of DMA 2011 - Danish Music Awards. The music and lyrics on the album were improvised in studio in Copenhagen after a tour in Iceland august 2010.