Finnur Karlsson has been called “with out a doubt one of the most noteworthy composers of his generation” and his music has been described as “honest and sincere” and “…captivatingly beautiful”.
His music has been performed by groups and soloists like Barokkbandið Brák, Cantoque Ensemble, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Elja Ensemble, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Loadbang, Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, Siggi String Quartet, Nordic Saxophone Collective and Århus Sinfonietta.
Finnur’s piece, Accordion Concerto, which was written for Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson and Elja Ensemble was chosen as “Composition of the year” at the Icelandic Music Prize in 2021. Finnur’s music has been nominated twice before in the category. First in 2015 for the piece Fold, which was commissioned by Skálholt Summer Concerts for Barokkbandið Brák, when Finnur was composer in residence at the festival. The other time was in 2018 for the orchestra piece From My Green Karlstad, which was commissioned for a joint concert with Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra and Elblag Chamber Orchestra. Finnur’s fourth orchestra piece “till heavens changed have their course”, which was written for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra was chosen to represent Denmark at the International Rostrum of Composers in Hungary in 2018.
Finnur studied composition at the Iceland University of Arts and Royal Danish Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen, Úlfar Ingi Haraldsson, Atli Ingólfsson, Simon Løffler og Niels Rosing-Schow.