Who is Víkingur Ólafsson, the Grammy-winning Icelandic pianist?
3 February 2025, 16:11 | Updated: 19 February 2025, 16:35
Everything you need to know about Víkingur Ólafsson – the Icelandic pianist who won his first Grammy Award for his recording of Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations.
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Víkingur Ólafsson’s career has gone from strength to strength. The Icelandic pianist already has a reputation for musical excellence and exquisite attention to detail, which has now been recognised by the Grammys, who awarded him ‘Best Classical Instrumental Solo’ for his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Ólafsson was born in Reykjavík on Valentine’s Day, 1984 and started playing the piano at an early age under the tutelage of his mother, Svana Víkingsdóttir.
He later studied with Erla Stefánsdóttir and Peter Máté before moving to New York to attend the prestigious Juilliard School. Whilst there, he studied with renowned pianists Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald and also took lessons with Ann Schein.
After his studies, he embarked on a highly successful solo career that has taken him all over the world. He has performed solo recitals in top venues and concertos with the world’s leading ensembles.
Ólafsson’s recordings for Deutsche Grammophon have led to over one billion streams to date.
Read more: Yo-Yo Ma performs Bach’s beautiful prelude in newly renovated Notre Dame cathedral
Víkingur Ólafsson - J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria (Official Music Video)
Where does Víkingur Ólafsson perform, and what music does he play?
Víkingur Ólafsson’s career takes him all over the world, where he has appeared with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, and Santa Cecilia Orchestra.
Upcoming performances include Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and he will join Yuja Wang for a European and North American tour. The pair have collaborated before to critical acclaim. This year, he will be Artist-in-Residence with the Tonhalle Zürich and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, as well as Artist-in-Focus at Vienna Musikverein.
The pianist is equally at home performing music by the great composers as he is performing contemporary classical music, giving the world premiere of John Adams’ After the Fall with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in January 2025, a piano concerto written especially for him.
Ólafsson is known for challenging conventions, devoting his entire 2023/24 season to a world tour of a single work: J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, performing it 88 times to great critical acclaim.
In spring 2025 Ólafsson will perform his new piano recital, the last three sonatas of Beethoven on multiple dates across the US and Europe.
