Words by Wim Van Hoose
Photo by Gísli Kristjánsson
Among the many distinct qualities of Icelandic music, the greatest is diversity. This is embodied in Eliza Geirsdóttir Newman, who is a singer-songwriter, violinist, ukulele player extraordinaire (!!), music teacher and dreamer from the Reykjanes peninsula of Iceland. She conquered the local music scene 26 years ago with Kolrassa Krókríðandi/Bellatrix. So far, she has immersed herself in different projects including four solo albums, and she shared with us some of her stories.
When did music come into your life, and when did you start to sing?
For as long as I can remember, there was always a lot of music playing in my house; either my dad would be playing the guitar or there would be records playing. I started attending music school in Keflavík when I was six years old, first playing the recorder and then moving on to the violin. Since then, music has been a big part of my life.
In my late teens, I focused on classical singing and went on to graduate as an opera singer from Söngskóli Reykjavíkur, and then pursued further studies in London at Sirry Ella Vaughan’s opera studio. I also did my master’s in Music education and psychology in London.
Further content is available only to Reykjavík On Stage subscribers. Wanna read the whole item? Please log in by choosing SUBSCRIBERS on the top of the page. Not a subscriber yet? Give yourself a subscription here.
