Bjarni Thor Krist­ins­son

Bjarni Thor Kristinsson er óperusöngvari, leikstjóri og sviðslistamaður með langan alþjóðlegan feril. Hann nam söng við Söngskólann í Reykjavík og síðan við Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst í Vínarborg hjá Helene Karusso og Curt Malm. Á árunum 1997–2000 var hann fastráðinn söngvari við Volksoper Wien.

Á ferli sínum hefur Bjarni komið fram í mörgum af fremstu óperuhúsum heims, þar á meðal við Staatsoper Unter den Linden í Berlín, Bayerische Staatsoper í München, Opéra Bastille í París, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Gran Teatre del Liceu í Barcelona og New National Theater í Tókýó. Meðal helstu hlutverka hans eru stór bassahlutverk eftir Mozart, Wagner og Strauss, sem spanna allt frá alvarlegum og dramatískum persónum til kómískra karakterhlutverka.

Samhliða störfum sínum á alþjóðlegum vettvangi hefur Bjarni ávallt tekið virkan þátt í íslensku tónlistar- og sviðslistalífi, bæði í stórum stofnunum og sjálfstæðum verkefnum. Á síðari árum hefur starfssvið hans einnig tekið til leikstjórnar, kennslu, þýðinga, leikgerða og þróunar nýrra verkefna innan tónlistarleikhúss. Hann hefur jafnframt staðið að fjölmörgum tónleikum og listrænum viðburðum, meðal annars tónleikaröðinni Pearls of Icelandic Song í Hörpu.

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Bjarni Thor Kristinsson is an opera singer, stage director, and performing artist with a long international career. He studied singing at the Reykjavík College of Music and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he studied with Helene Karusso and Curt Malm. From 1997 to 2000, he was a permanent member of the Volksoper Vienna as a singer.

Throughout his career, Bjarni has appeared in many of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper in München, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and the New National Theatre in Tokyo. Among his principal roles are major bass roles in operas by Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss, ranging from serious and dramatic characters to comic character roles.

Alongside his international career, Bjarni has consistently taken an active part in Icelandic music and performing arts life, both within major institutions and in independent projects. In recent years, his work has also expanded into stage directing, teaching, translation, libretto writing, and the development of new music theatre projects. He has also been involved in numerous concerts and artistic events, including the concert series Pearls of Icelandic Song at Harpa.