During her performances as a National Finalist in the 2007 Metropolitan National Council Auditions, which were chronicled in the nationally released documentary film The Audition, The New York Times described soprano Dísella Làrusdóttir as “reliably breathtaking.” The Times later singled out her performances in the competition as being amongst 2007’s “memorable moments” in opera, during which she “sang meltingly.” She went on to cover the role of Miss Schlesen in the Met’s production of Philip Glass’sSatyagraha, a role she covers again at the Met in 2011. She also covers Woglinde in Götterdämmerung and Das Rheingold at the Met in the 2011-2012 season.
The Iceland native gave her New York recital debut in Merkin Concert Hall, also hailed by The New York Times, claiming she “deployed her high, bright and clear voice with a striking ease and consistency” and praised her “easy grace” and “dramatic power [that was] almost startling.” In March 2011, Ms. Làrusdóttir gave the world-première performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis’ La Danza for soprano, flute, viola, harp, and percussion obbligato, for Astral Artists. Recently, she toured Peru and Ecuador as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas under Dante Anzolini, performed Sibelius’ Luonnotar with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with iPalpiti Orchestra, sang the role of Cunegonde in Candide with New Jersey’s Colonial Symphony, was the featured soloist in the Glière Concerto for Soprano and Orchestra with Symphony in C, appeared with the Symphony Orchestra of Iceland under Markus Poschner, and recorded the role of the Nun in Paul Salerni’s Tony Caruso’s Last Broadcast for Albany Records. She was also featured as soloist with The Haddonfield Symphony (now Symphony in C) in both Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and the world première of The Rim of Love by Andrea Clearfield. The prestigious Icelandic “Griman” Theater Awards nominated Ms. Làrusdóttir as “singer of the year” for her performances of Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, her debut role with the Iceland National Opera in October 2009 – a production so popular it extended its run. Upcoming engagements include Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and an appearance on Astral Artists’ series in February 2012.

The winner of the Vocal Division of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2007 Albert M. Greenfield Competition, Ms. Làrusdóttir debuted with the Orchestra in January 2008 under Christoph Eschenbach, at its 151stAcademy Concert & Ball. She was also a prizewinner in the 2006 Loren L. Zachary Society National Vocal Competition for Young Opera Singers, a winner of Astral Artists’ 2006 National Auditions, the winner of New Jersey’s 2004 National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, and a semi-finalist in Operalia, Plácido Domingo’s World Opera Competition, in Valencia, Spain. Ms. Làrusdóttir has been featured in an orchestral concert with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under Bernhardur Wilkinson and at Los Angeles’s Wilshire Theater under Frank Fetta, and was presented in recital by Morning Musicales at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music Ballroom. She has appeared as Ännchen in Der Freischütz with New Jersey Concert Opera, as both Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretelwith Vermont’s Barre Opera Theater, and has performed with Iceland’s Summer Opera. She has also given recitals at Westminster Choir College, as well as in Reykjavík and Stykkishólmur in Iceland.

Ms. Làrusdóttir began studying trumpet at the age of eight with her father, the principal trumpet of the Symphony Orchestra of Iceland. She later completed studies at the British Royal School of Music’s Singing School of Reykjavík. She performs regularly in Iceland, and in December 2004 released a Christmas CD with her two sisters, a recording that made the country’s Top 40 chart after just three weeks in release. The release of her solo classical CD in November 2007 also topped the Icelandic charts in it first weeks in release.

Ms. Làrusdóttir holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where she received a full-tuition scholarship and served as a graduate assistant.

Roles

Woglinde (cover) Woglinde (cover) Helena (cover) Miss Schlesen (cover)	Rheingold Götterdämmerung The Enchanted Island Philip Glass Satyagraha	Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera	2012 2012 2012 2011
Cunegonde	Bernstein Candide	Colonial Symphony, NJ	2010
Adina	Donizetti L’elisir d’amore	Iceland Opera	2009
Miss Schlesen (cover)	Philip Glass Satyagraha	Metropolitan Opera	2008
Zerlina	Mozart Don Giovanni	Barre Opera Theater, VT	2007
Filia	Carissimi Jephte	St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, NJ	2006
Gretel	Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel	Barre Opera Theater, VT	2005
Ännchen	Weber Der Freischütz	New Jersey Concert Opera	2004

Concert Soloist & Recitals

W. A. Mozart, Solemn Vespers S. Rachmaninoff, The Bells Op. 35 G. Pergolesi, Stabat Mater Aaron Jay Kernis La Danza (world premiere)	Mid America Productions, Carnegie Hall Princeton Symphony Orchestra iPalpiti Orchestra Astral Artists	2012 2011 2011 2011
Sibelius Luonnotar, Op. 70 & Strauss lieder	Princeton Symphony Orchestra	2010
Recitals	Princeton Symphony Orchestra chamber concert series	2010
Mahler Symphony No. 4	Youth Orchestra of the Americas	2010
“Wienna-music”	Symphony Orchestra of Iceland	2009
Glière Concerto for Soprano & Orchestra	Symphony in C, Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts	2009
New York Recital Debut (Astral Artists)	Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center	2008
Var. opera arias	The Philadelphia Orchestra, 151^st Academy Concert & Ball	2008
“Manstu gamla daga” (var. Icelandic songs)	Symphony Orchestra of Iceland	2007
Donizetti “Prendi” from L’elisir d’amore	Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Wilshire Theater, CA	2006
Weber “Trübe Augen” from Der Freischütz	Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Wilshire Theater, CA	2006
Andrea Clearfield The Rim of Love (world première)	Haddonfield Symphony, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia	2006
Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915	Haddonfield Symphony, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia	2006
Graduate voice recital	Westminster Choir College of Rider University	2005
Recital	Church of Stykkishólmur, Iceland	2004
Mozart Great mass in c minor (“Domine Deus”)	Singing School of Reykjavík, Iceland	2002
Recital	Singing School of Reykjavík, Iceland	2002

Awards & Distinctions

National Finalist	Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions	2007
1^st Prize	The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Competition	2007
Semi-finalist	Plácido Domingo’s Operalia	2006
Finalist	Loren L. Zachary Society National Vocal Competition	2006
Winner	Astral Artists National Auditions	2006
Roster artist	Astral Artists	2006-present
Finalist	Liederkranz Foundation Competition	2006
1^st Prize	National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, NJ	2004
G. A. Grant/Full tuition scholarship	Westminster Choir College of Rider University	2003-05

Composer	Opera	Role

Bellini	I Capuleti e i Montecchi	Giulietta
Bellini	La Sonnambula	Amina
Bellini	I Puritani	Elvira
Bernstein	Candide	Cunegonde
Delibes	Lakmé	Lakmé
Donizetti	L'elisir d'Amore	Adina
Donizetti	Lucia di Lammermoor	Lucia
Glass	Satyagraha	Mrs. Schlesen
Gounod	Roméo et Juliette	Juliette
Handel	Giulio Cesare	Cleopatra
Humperdinck	Hänsel und Gretel	Gretel
Massenet	Manon	Manon
Massenet	Thaïs	Thaïs
Mozart	Don Giovanni	Donna Anna
Mozart	Così fan tutte	Fiordiligi
Mozart	Die Entführung aus dem Serail	Konstanze
Mozart	Die Zauberflöte	Pamina
Stravisky	The Rake's Progress	Anne Truelove
Strauss	Der Rosenkavalier	Sophie
Verdi	Rigoletto	Gilda
Verdi	La Traviata	Violetta
Wagner	Gotterdammerung/Rheingold	Woglinde

- “Ms. Larusdottir deployed her high, bright and clear voice with a striking ease and consistency…her voice shimmered like silver…a thrilling liquid quality…After the easy grace Ms. Larusdottir brought to six lyrical Icelandic songs, her dramatic power in Rachmaninoff’s ‘In My Garden at Night’ and ‘To Her,’ from Six Songs (Op. 38), was almost startling.” – The New York Times
- “[The year 2007] offered memorable moments…the promising Icelandic soprano Dísella Làrusdóttir sang meltingly in the semifinals of the Met Grand Council auditions in March.” – The New York Times
- “…reliably breathtaking…” – The New York Times
- “Dísella Làrusdóttir, a striking Icelandic soprano…shows a voice of bewitching beauty and presence.” – Opera News (on the documentary film The Audition)
- “…sung with beauty, ease and artistry…Ms. Larusdottir stopped the show with ‘O quante volte.’” – The New York Times
- “With her strongly projected lyric soprano and her striking good looks, Dísella Làrusdóttir is undoubtedly headed toward a solid career in opera…Làrusdóttir’s is an appealing presence; I look forward to her operatic ventures…” – Fred Cohn, Opera News Online
- “…soprano Dísella Làrusdóttir made an impression of great promise that only made you want to hear more.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
- “Làrusdóttir possesses a bright, penetrating voice that seems devoid of weak points, and her dramatic entrance immediately told everyone in the audience that we were hearing someone special announce something special…Làrusdóttir proved she can make a song float, too…[she] combined vocal power with the nuanced expressiveness art songs require…Làrusdóttir has developed an effective story-telling style…Làrusdóttir maintained style and power all the way to the end.” – Broad Street Review (Philadelphia)
- “Làrusdóttir encompassed [the world première of Andrea Clearfield’s The Rim of Love and Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with comprehension and conviction…Làrusdóttir has a well-honed voice.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
- “[Làrusdóttir]’s voice…was engaged on so many levels…” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Robert Lombardo & Associates

61 West 62nd St., Ste. 6F

New York, NY 10023

Telephone: 1-212-586-4453

Fax: 1-212-581-5771

www.rlombardo.com

Contacts:

Robert Lombardo

Robert@robertlombardo.com

Lewis Ehlers

Lewis@robertlombardo.com

Michael Rosen

Michael@robertlombardo.com

Dísella Lárusdóttir

Roles

Concert Soloist & Recitals

Awards & Distinctions