Kjartan Guðnason

An Icelandic percussionist and double bass player. He began his music studies aged twelve at the Seltjarnarnes music school and continued at the Musician's Union music school in Reykjavík (FÍH), before taking his further studies in percussion at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. On his return he played with the Icelandic Youth Symphony Orchestra under Paul Zukofsky from 1986 to 1994 and was principal timpanist and percussionist of Orkester Norden in 1994 and 1995. For the past thirty-five years Kjartan has played regularly with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Icelandic Opera's orchestra, the Caput modern ensemble and in many theatrical productions at the Reykjavík City Theatre and the National Theatre of Iceland, and has guested with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, Bach Collegium Japan and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. He has played the double bass with Sinfóníuhljómsveit áhugamanna, the amateur symphony orchestra of Iceland, since 1996, having trained with Jón bassi at the Musician's Union music school and later with Rudolf Agert in Munich. He teaches at the Kópavogur School Band.