Víkingur Ólafsson on Performance, Improvisation, and His April 29 Recital at Zellerbach Hall
Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, who’s 42, is set to conclude his Artist in Residency with Cal Performances on April 29, 2025, at 7:30 PM. He’ll take the stage at Zellerbach Hall for a solo recital that includes Beethoven's Op. 90 and Op. 109, Schubert's E Minor Sonata (D. 566), and Bach's Prelude in E Major. Hailing from Reykjavík, Ólafsson studied at Juilliard and released his first recording with Deutsche Grammophon in 2017, earning him the nickname "Iceland's Glenn Gould." He received the Musical America's Instrumentalist of the Year award and a Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2024. Ólafsson lives in Reykjavík with his wife, pianist Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir, and their kids, and he incorporates improvisation into his performances.
Key facts
- Víkingur Ólafsson performs at Zellerbach Hall on April 29, 2025, closing his Cal Performances residency.
- Program includes Beethoven Op. 90 and Op. 109, Schubert E Minor Sonata D. 566, and Bach Prelude in E Major.
- Ólafsson won a 2024 Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for Goldberg Variations.
- He was named Musical America's Instrumentalist of the Year in 2024.
- His DG debut in 2017 led The New York Times to call him 'Iceland's Glenn Gould'.
- He studied at Juilliard with Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald.
- He lives in Reykjavík with his wife, pianist Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir, and children.
- He compares musical performance to an actor becoming a role, emphasizing improvisation.
Entities
Artists
- Víkingur Ólafsson
- Björk
- Brad Mehldau
- Jerome Lowenthal
- Robert McDonald
- Ann Schein Carlyss
- Ólafur Óskar Axelsson
- Svana Víkingsdóttir
- Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir
- J.S. Bach
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Franz Schubert
- Claude Debussy
- Jean-Philippe Rameau
- Maria Callas
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Dinu Lipatti
- Rick Rubin
- Jeff Kaliss
Institutions
- Cal Performances
- Zellerbach Hall
- Juilliard School
- Deutsche Grammophon
- NPR
- Tetragrammaton
- The New York Times
- Musical America
- SF Classical Voice
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Backbeat Books
- San Francisco State University
- Philharmonia Orchestra
- Schloss Elmau
- Dirrindí
Locations
- Reykjavík
- Iceland
- New York City
- United States
- Vienna
- Austria
- Hungary
- Germany
- San Francisco
- California