CV

Haukur Tómasson was awarded the 2004 Nordic Council Music Prize, the greatest honor awarded to a Nordic composer. This award, which Tómasson received for his chamber opera Guðrún´s 4th Song, firmly established his stature as one of Scandinavia´s most outstanding composers. The music of Haukur Tómasson is vibrant and scintillating, characterized by intense rhythmic activity, bright, colorful timbres, and a keen ear for novel and effective instrumental combinations. Tómasson´s music bustles with energy and is often quite complex, although the rapidly moving surface rhythm occasionally comes to a halt, giving way to slowly moving sonorities of imposing power and austere beauty. Besides a large body of chamber music, Tómasson´s work includes nine orchestral pieces, eight concertos and the opera Gudruns 4th Song. His music is released on BIS and various Icelandic labels.

Prizes:
1993 – Icelandic State Radio Music Prize for Strati
1996 – Bröste Optimistic Prize
1998 – Cultural award of the DV newspaper for Gudrun´s 4th Song
1998 – Icelandic Music Award for Gudrun´s 4th Song
2000 – Icelandic State Radio 70th anniversary Composition Prize for Fabella
2004 – Nordic Council Music Prize for Gudrun´s 4th Song
2005 – Icelandic Music Award for Ardente
2011 – In Seventh Heaven wins competition for new orchestral piece to be performed at the inaugural concert of the new concerthall Harpa in Reykjavík.
2012 – Icelandic Music Award for Moldarljós