Einar Torfi Einarsson

Einar Torfi Einarsson (1980) was born in Iceland and studied initially composition at Reykjavik College of Music. He received his Ph.D. in composition from the University of Huddersfield where he studied with Aaron Cassidy on the Jonathan Harvey Scholarship. Previous composition studies were with Fabio Nieder at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he also studied with Richard Ayres and Willem Jeths, graduating with a MMus degree in 2009. Einar did also study with Beat Furrer at the Kunstuniversität in Graz. In 2008, he was a composer in residence at the Ligeti Academy in Amsterdam organized by Asko/Schönberg Ensemble. He has also studied in masterclass and private setting with Salvatore Sciarrino, Brian Ferneyhough, Jonathan Harvey and Peter Ablinger.
His music has been performed by ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Intercontemporain, ELISION Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Asko Ensemble, Caput Ensemble, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Holland Symfonia. His music was featured on the International Rostrum of Composers and has been performed and broadcasted in Scandinavia, Netherlands, France, Austria, UK and Germany.
Einar has been awarded an Artist Stipend (2012, 2013) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Iceland) and has previously received grants from Musica Nova foundation Iceland, Composers Fund 365 and Reykjavik City Cultural Fund. During the Dutch Music Days festival 2008 his piece Nine Tensions was awarded the Henriëtte Bosmans Prize. Also a finalist for the Buma Toonzetters Prize 2009, winner in the category: "best ensemble piece". His orchestra piece Apertures was selected for the Young Composers Project 2009 organized by Holland Symfonia and premiered during the Gaudeamus Music Week 2009. A winner in the impuls Composition Competition 2009, which awarded him a commission to write a piece for Klangforum Wien (premiere on impuls 2011). In 2010 Einar was commissioned by the Ensemble Intercontemporain / IRCAM Reading Panel (Tremplin Commission programme) to write a piece for Ensemble Intercontemporain (premiered in Centre Pompidou in 2012).
His music has been performed on festivals such as: Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Transit Festival, impuls festival, Dutch Music Days, Nordlichter (Berlin), Gaudeamus Music Week, Time of Music, Dark Music Days, Ung Nordisk Musik and Nordic Music Days.
During 2010-11 he worked as a part-time lecturer in Composition at the University of Huddersfield. He was a Research Fellow at the Orpheus Research Centre in Music (ORCiM) at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent in 2013-2014, and is currently a part-time lecturer in Composition at the Iceland Academy of the Arts.
His recent work focuses on experimental notation, performance physicality, nonlinear and non-teleological structures, as well as notational experimentations where the border of music, intallation art and visual art is explored.