Benedikt Kristjánsson, Ensemble Continuum & Sergey Malov
Biography Benedikt Kristjánsson, Ensemble Continuum & Sergey Malov
Benedikt Kristjansson
was born in in Húsavík, Iceland. He started singing lessons at age of 16 under the tutelage of his mother, Margrét Bóasdóttir, at the Reykjavik Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in Iceland.
Benedikt graduated from the Reykjavík Conservatory of Music in 2007. He studied with Professor Scot Weir at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, and graduated with honors. He has participated in Masterclasses in Europe by renowned Singers such as Christa Ludwig, Peter Schreier, Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Thomas Quasthoff, Andreas Schmidt and also the Lied-Pianist Helmut Deutsch.
Benedikt won the 1st Prize of the International Bach Vocal Competition in Greifswald in 2011, and was also awarded the Audience Award. He was the Winner of the Audience Award in the International Bach Competition in Leipzig 2012.
In 2019 he received the OPUS Klassik award in the category “Innovative Concert”, with a version of the St.John Passion by Bach, arranged for Tenor, harpsichord and diverse Percussion instruments.
As a Concert singer Benedikt has performed in many Concert Halls in Europe and the USA, such as Konzerthaus Vienna, Berlin Philharmonie, Chapelle Royal in Versailles, Walt-Disney Hall, Los Angeles and Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Orchestras such as Staatskapelle Berlin, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Gaechinger Cantorey, Hofkapelle München, Holland Baroque, Dresdner Barockorchestra, Nederlandse Bachverening, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Freiburger Barockorchestra.
Benedikt has worked with many internationally acclaimed Conductors such as Reinhard Goebel, Reinbert de Leeuw, Vaclav Luks, Vladimir Jurowski, Peter Dijkstra, Hans-Christoph Rademann and Philipe Herreweghe.
Benedikt has performed Opera in Theater Kiel, Staatstheater Braunschweig and at the Staatsoper in Berlin, singing both baroque and modern repertoire. He is a frequent performer at Festivals, such as Bachfest Leipzig, Musikfest Stuttgart, Thüringer Bach-Wochen, Händelfestspiele Halle, Festival Bach Montréal, Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht, as well as being an Artist in Residence at the Beethovenfest in Bonn in 2022.
In 2019 he released his first solo-CD, “Drang in die Ferne”, which received critical acclaim s in Germany. The program of the CD is a mixture of Icelandic Folksongs and song by Franz Schubert. The CD was nominated at both OPUS Klassik, and ICMA (International Classical Music Awards).
