Jórunn Viðar

Icelandic Classical Composer and Pianist

Jórunn Viðar (born 7 December 1918, Reykjavík, Iceland - died 27 February 2017, Reykjavík, Iceland) was an Icelandic pianist and composer. Jórunn Viðar started her advanced training at Ísólfsson’s conservatory, followed by studies in Berlin and then at the Juilliard School. In New York she met a fellow Icelander and dance student, Sigríður Ármann. The two of them collaborated on Eldur (Fire), which would be the first ballet for the new National Theatre in Reykjavík, presented in May 1950. Their second collaboration for the National Theatre, Ólafur Liljurós, opened in 1952 and is based on a traditional Nordic legend.