User:Commoniceland/sandbox

Pianist Selma Guðmundsdóttir and president of Richard Wagner Society in Iceland, began her piano studies in her home country. On obtaining her soloist's diploma from Reykjavik College of Music, she started her post-graduate studies with Hans Leygraf at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and, on being awarded a two year DAAD scholarship, she continued her studies with Prof. Leygraf at the Academy of Music and Drama in Hannover. Selma has also attended many seminars, e.g. with Pierre Sancan in France and Frantisek Rauch in Czechoslovakia.

Since her debut as soloist, Selma Gudmundsdottir has given many concerts in Iceland and abroad, playing as soloist in recitals and with orchestras as well as accompanying or playing chamber music. She has also made several recordings and appearances on Icelandic Radio and Television. She has recorded several CDs for the Icelandic labels Spor, Japis and Smekkleysa as well as for Polygram in Hong Kong. Her discograpy includes, to name but a few, a solo CD with romantic piano music, 2 Cds with violinist Sigrun Edvaldsdottir, concert maestro of Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, 2 Cds with cellist Gunnar Kvaran, including F. Chopin’s grand cellosonata and “Miniatures”, a Cd where she accompanies Icelandic flutist, Ashildur Haraldsdottir.

As a member of the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra Selma has performed regularly in Iceland as well as taking part in a concert tour in Britain and playing at the Bergen Arts Festival in Norway. Selma recently made concert tours in Iceland and Norway with Norwegian tenor, Harald Björköy and another tour, autumn 2010 in Iceland and Germany, playing piano duo with Albert Mamriev. Summer 2011 concert tour of China with violinist Sigrun Edvaldsdottir, their cooperation dates 25 years back and includes concert tours to Lithuania, Germany, Scotland and New York with a recital in Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall in 1996.

Selma is a teacher at the piano department of the Reykjavík College of Music, and from autumn 2005 a coach for the singing and string department of the Icelandic Academy of Arts. She was the president of the Icelandic Soloists’ Association from 1988 to 1992, a board member of the Reykjavik Art Festival from 1990 to 1995 and, on behalf of the Festival, in charge of the cooperation with the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth for the shortened version of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the National Theatre in Iceland in 1994. She is one of the founders of the Richard Wagner Society in Iceland and its president from the start in 1995.