Icelandic choir to perform two concerts in Costa del Sol, this week

Monday, 16 June 2025, 19:21

The Reykjavík Chamber Choir is giving two concerts in Malaga this week; the first is on Tuesday 17 June at 5pm in San Miguel church on Plaza Andalucía in Nerja and the second is taking place in Malaga on Wednesday 18 June at 7pm at the city’s Museo del Vidrio y Cristal on Plazuela del Santísimo Cristo de la Sangre.

In a strange coincidence, the concert in Nerja is held on Iceland’s day of independence. Iceland became a Republic on 17 June 1944 when it declared its formal independence from Denmark. Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, a choir member at SURin English, explained that the day traditionally begins with a Mass and is followed by family-friendly activities.

The visitors from Iceland will mark the occasion in Nerja by performing traditional Icelandic music and choral songs. The program includes soloists as well as some acapella pieces.

Some of the music dates back to 1208, including Heyr, himna smiður (Hear, smith of the heavens) a hymn by the Icelandic composer Þorkell Sigurbjörns. Thorsteinn explains that this is the oldest song we’ll be singing.

Nerja: A Connection to the Past

Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson has organised the concerts. He has an apartment in Nerja, and his family has visited Nerja on a regular basis for 18 years.

Thorsteinn said to SURin English, that ten members of the choir will be travelling to Malaga. This includes his daughter who is also a member of the choir. “We will be 20 in total as wives and partners are coming.”

The Reykjavík Chamber Choir was founded in 2002 by Thorsteinn and conductor Sigurður Bragason, who had sung together in other choirs beforehand. Sigurður was also Thorsteinn’s singing teacher for a while and the two decided to establish their own choir.

It is now one of Iceland’s foremost chamber ensembles and it has performed extensively in Reykjavík and throughout the country, presenting both sacred and secular works by classical composers, as well as premiering pieces by contemporary composers.

The choir has performed at music festivals in Germany and Italy, as well as in Copenhagen and London. The choir’s soloists are classically trained.

Conductor and pianist

Sigurður Bragason, has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a soloist, vocal coach, composer, and choral director. He has written numerous songs as well as larger-scale works, both for soloists and choirs.

As a vocalist, Sigurður has performed around the world, including appearances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Carnegie Hall Recital Hall and Scandinavia House in New York; Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square in London, among other places.

Silvia Mkrtchian is the pianist of the choir. She is Armenian and has enjoyed an illustrious career on some of the world’s finest concert stages.

The concerts in Nerja are sponsored by De Cotta Law and promoted by Nerja Anglican Chaplaincy and New Life Church.