Egill Gunnarsson studied guitar with Snorri Snorrason, composition with Snorri S. Birgisson and Haukur Tómasson, and singing with Elísabet Erlingsdóttir and Rut L. Magnússon, at the Reykjavík College of Music from 1985-98. In 2000 he moved to Italy, where he took further studies in composition with Giovanni Verrando in Scuola civica di musica in Milan. He also took courses in electronic music and film music and attended masterclasses in composition with Alessandro Solbiati, Luca Francesconi, Claudio Ambrosini and others. Since his return to Iceland, he has worked as a choral conductor, singer, teacher, composer and arranger. He is an experienced chorister, and a major part of his works is written for the voice, both solo songs and choral pieces, the biggest being a mass for choir and chamber ensemble commissioned by the Reykjavík Cathedral Choir in 2010. He is also a prolific arranger of music ranging from classical to folk and pop music
