Kristín Mjöll Jakobsdóttir
Bassoon, Iceland
Kristín Mjöll Jakobsdóttir holds a Master’s Degree from Yale School of Music where she studied with professor Arthur Weisberg, and a Certificate Diploma from Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam where she studied with Joep Terwey. She was working towards an Artist Diploma at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Ohio with William Winstead, when she moved to Hong Kong where she spent seven years working as a freelance bassoonist, including playing with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra 1991-1992 and teaching at the Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts. Kristín returned to her native Iceland in 1998 and is regularly on call with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera Orchestra, as well as being active in the local chamber music scene. She has been Head Master of the Music School in Vesturbyggd, Iceland, since August 2020. She has been a regular member of the Ameropa Chamber Music Courses in Prague since 2015.
Kristín formed the Hnúkatheyr Wind Octet in 2003, which has commissioned several new Icelandic works, and celebrates its´s 20th Anniversary this year. Kristín has premiered various Icelandic works for solo bassoon. Her CD, Journey, which includes five world premiere recordings of Icelandic music, was published in 2016 by Smekkleysa. Kristin has performed as soloist in Iceland, Hong Kong, Prague and in the USA and in 2018 she gave masterclass and performance at the Conservatory of Gabriel Fauré in Angouléme, France, 2018 upon invitation by Prof. Franck Leblois.
Kristín has been influential in the Icelandic music life, as Chairman of the Society of Icelandic Musicians and board member of the Federation of Icelandic Artists in 2008-2012, and board member of the Reykjavik Arts Festival in 2012-2014. She has been a project manager and producer of several music projects, festivals and tours on behalf of the Operarctic Society, the Caput Ensemble, the South Iceland Chamber Choir, the Blueberry Music Festival and the Society of Icelandic Musicians. Kristin is also a founding member of Harpa International Music Academy in Reykjavík.