One of Iceland's leading violinists, Ari Þór Vilhjálmsson joined the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2006 as Associate Principal Second Violin, and later Acting Principal Second Violin, after graduate studies at the New England Conservatory with Lucy Chapman. This past season, he served as Guest 2nd Concertmaster of the Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland, and also appeared as Guest Concertmaster with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in France. Ari has performed as soloist with the Iceland Symphony and other orchestras on numerous occasions, including violin concertos by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Shostakovich. He regularly performs chamber music for the Reykjavik Chamber Music Society and the Reykholt Music Festival, and has in recent years performed recitals at Emory University in Atlanta, the Reykjavik International Arts Festival, and the Reykjavik Midsummer Music Festival. A respected educator in Iceland, Ari is one of the main teachers for advanced violin students in the country. He has taught at the Reykjavik College of Music since 2008, and cofounded the Harpa International Music Academy in 2013, a summer festival for students of all levels each June.
Born in Reykjavik in 1981, Ari studied with former ISO Concertmaster Guðný Guðmundsdóttir before continuing his education in the United States. His main teachers were Roland and Almita Vamos at Northwestern University, and Sibbi Bernhardsson at the University of Illinois. During his time in Illinois, he also studied privately with Rachel Barton Pine, was a member in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and played on Björk's 2003 World Tour with the Iceland String Octet.
