Aurora

Aurora leikur tónlist sem eins og Norðurljóin, er litrík og ófyrirsjáanleg.

Þessi íslenski jazzkvartett sem settur var saman til að taka þátt í Young Nordic Jazz Comets keppninni í Helsinki í september nk spilar kraftmiklar tónsmíðar meðlimanna. Litríkar laglínur og fjölbreytta ryþma. Hann er skipaður ungum og upprennandi jazzleikurum Íslands, sem allir eru útskrifaðir úr tónlistarskóla FÍH og hafa þegar getið sér gott orð á tónleikasviðum hér heima og erlendis.

Sigmar Þór Matthíasson – bassi

Helgi Rúnar Heiðarsson – tenórsaxófónn

Tómas Jónsson – píanó/hljómborð

Óskar Kjartansson – trommur.

Aurora – Music as colorful and unpredictable as The Northern Lights.

The Icelandic jazz quartet, that was formed to represent Iceland in the Young Nordic Jazz Comets competition in Helsinki this coming september, plays original compositions by all members of the band, music filled with high energy, colorful melodies and odd-meter rhythms.

Sigmar Þór Matthíasson, bass – started playing the bass around the age of 15, studying at a local music school called Tónlistarskóli Árbæjar. Later on he studied at the FÍH Music School and graduated from there in 2012. In his last year he was offered a scholarship for his outstanding performance at the school and spent one semester as an exchange-student in Denmark, studying at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. Today Sigmar is currently furthering his jazz studies at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, USA.

Sigmar has been a very active performer on the Icelandic music scene for few years. Including Nordic folk/jazz group Silfurberg and pop/rock band Hvar er Mjallhvít?, which both have released records in Iceland. In addition, he has performed and/or recorded with many of the most in-demand pop and jazz musicians in Iceland. As well as being an active performer, Sigmar has worked as a music teacher for several years.

Helgi Rúnar Heiðarsson, tenor saxophone – is an Icelandic saxophonist who graduated from the Music School of FÍH in Iceland in the year of 2012. He has recorded and performed with many Icelandic and Nordic bands mainly playing jazz and improvised music, including the Reykjavík Big Band, Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band, Orphic Oxtra, Blæti, Eyjafjalla Experience and Skver.

Tómas Jónsson, piano/keyboards-  is one of the most promising young pianists in Iceland today. He graduated from The FÍH School of Music in 2012 and was nominated for the Icelandic Music Prize as the most promising jazz artist that same year. Tómas is one of the most sought-after keyboard player in Iceland in the field of pop, blues and jazz music and has played with bands like ADHD, Fjallabræður and Dusty Miller.

Óskar Kjartansson, drums-  started playing drums when he was 12 years old but lost interest for a few years and it wasn’t until he discovered jazz that he really started to be interested in playing music. When he was eighteen years old he started his studies in the FÍH Music School and graduated in the spring of 2013, by playing a concert with his compositions and arrangements. Óskar mostly plays jazz orientated music but also all kinds of diverse music, for example his balkan big band Orphic Oxtra, which has released two albums.