Bára Gísladóttir

Born in Reykjavík in 1989, Bára Gísladóttir studied composition in Reykjavík, Milan, and Copenhagen, where she now lives. The double bass plays a central role in her work, both as an instrument and as a compositional lens. Her music often explores a single tone, from which multiple layers of sound emerge. Improvisation is integral to her practice, whether in solo works or in collaboration with bassist Skúli Sverrisson. Influenced by Scelsi, death metal, and techno, her work balances extremes of noise, silence, and humour—as in SILVA, an hour-long double bass solo inspired by an underground rave for trees. She performs with the Elja Ensemble and has received several awards, including the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize (2018) and the Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize (2024). Her music is published by Edition·S and recorded on labels such as Dacapo and Sono Luminus.