Þórunn Ósk Marínósdóttir

A violist and the principal viola of the Iceland Symphony, where she has held a permanent post since 1998. She grew up in Akureyri and learned the violin there, mostly with Lilja Hjaltadóttir, and took her master's in viola with distinction at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels in 1996, under Ervin Schiffer. In Belgium she led the violas of the chamber orchestra Prima la Musica from 1994 to 1997 and played in I Fiamminghi under Rudolf Werthen and in a string quartet that toured with the dance company Rosas. She has played as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony, Kammersveit Reykjavíkur, Caput and the Sumida Triphony Hall orchestra in Tokyo. Smekkleysa has released her recordings of Hafliði Hallgrímsson's viola concerto Ombra and his Dagbókarbrot, and Veronique Vaka wrote her viola concerto Vanescere for her. In 2012 she founded Strokkvartettinn Siggi with its other members; the quartet was named performer of the year at the Icelandic Music Awards for 2018 and won again for its recording of all Atli Heimir Sveinsson's string quartets. She has been artistic director of the Reykholt Festival together with Sigurður Bjarki Gunnarsson, and she teaches at Menntaskóli í tónlist and Listaháskóli Íslands.