The Icelandic mezzo-soprano Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir received the award for “Rising Star” at the International Opera Awards in Munich last autumn. She also received the Thalia Award as “Opera Singer of the Year 2023” in the Czech Republic for her interpretation of Oktavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier and was nominated for the same award a year later following her debut as the Composer from Ariadne auf Naxos.
Since 2020, she has been a permanent soloist with the Czech National Theater where she has performed, alongside the roles of Oktavian and the Composer, roles such as Charlotte in Werther, Rosina Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Varavara in Kát’a Kabanova and more.
Last season she made her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and returned to the Norwegian National Opera in Bergen. She has also appeared as a guest artist at the Daegu Opera House in South Korea, the Cologne Opera, and with the Icelandic Opera.
Arnheiður has performed as a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia, the South Bohemian Philharmonic in Budweis, the Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic, the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne, the EinKlang Philharmonic in Münster, the Košice Philharmonic in Slovakia, and the Silesian Philharmonic.
She graduated with a final diploma from the Reykjavik College of Music and earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under the guidance of Univ. Prof. Sebastian Vittucci. She also pursued her Master’s studies there until she was offered a position in the opera studio of the Cologne Opera, where she was a member from 2018–2020.
