Ragnheiður Ingunn Jóhannsdóttir (2000) graduated from the Iceland University of the Arts in the spring of 2021 with a double bachelor's degree in violin and vocal performance, with orchestral conducting as an extra subject. She then finished a master's degree in Vocal Performance from The Royal College of Music in Stockholm in 2023. In 2024 she graduated from the Malko International Academy for Young Conductors with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra at the DR Concert Hall where she had studied from 2022. At her final concert, she conducted the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's 4th symphony.

In 2024-2025, she participated in the Glover-Edwards Conducting Programme at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Ragnheiður currently studies orchestral conducting in Oslo with Ole Kristian Ruud at the Norwegian Academy of Music and will graduate in the spring of 2026.

In 2022 she performed as a soloist and conductor (at the same time) at her concert “Soprano takes the baton” at the Reykjavík Opera Days in Eldborg, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, with a chamber orchestra, premiering three Icelandic pieces, written especially for her, and performing Zerbinetta’s aria by Richard Strauss. Following that, she was awarded the rising star prize as “The Brightest Hope in Icelandic Music” at the Icelandic Music Awards 2023. In 2024, she recorded two of the pieces with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for RÚV, Iceland's national broadcast service.

In Reykjavík, Ragnheiður was the winner of the classical singing competition Vox Domini in the spring of 2022 and was named “Voice of the Year”. In March 2023 she sang the soprano solo in Mahler’s 4th symphony with the Iceland Youth Symphony and in May 2023 she sang and conducted arias by R. Strauss and A. Berg with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, after winning the orchestra’s soloist competition. At the Reykjavík Opera Days in 2024, she sang and conducted Schönberg's Pierrot lunaire and was nominated as "Singer of the Year" and "Performer of the Year" at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2025.

As a child she sang and acted in various theatrical productions, both at Iceland National Theatre and Reykjavík City Theatre. She sang the role of Alice in the Iceland University of the Arts production of Alice in Wonderland, a new opera by John Speight in 2021, and has performed as a soloist with choirs in Stockholm, for example in Bach's Matthew Passion. In June 2022 she performed in the opera Hrafntinna at the Reykjavík Arts Festival, as well as performing at Songfest, Hafnarfjörður. In the fall of 2023 she performed Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments with violinist Rannveig Marta Sarc at two concerts at the Reykjavík Opera Days. She has also worked with various pianists in Iceland and performed several lied concerts, recently focusing on Nordic and French music and German music from the 20th century, as well as performing songs commissioned by her and pianist Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir. 

In 2023-2024, she was the conductor of the Iceland Youth Symphony and Reykjavík College of Music Symphony Orchestra and conducted a children’s concert and TV-recordings for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Ragnheiður also conducted string orchestra recordings on Björk’s newest album, Fossora.

In 2025, Ragnheiður became the conductor of the Young Nordic Opera Choir. She travelled with the choir to perform at the Nordic Song Festival (Trollhättan, Sweden) and at the Herning Opera Festival (Denmark) where they performed with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Their next concert will be in Iceland at the Reykjavík Opera Days with Elja Chamber Ensemble.

As a violinist she has performed as a soloist with the Reykjavík College of Music Symphony Orchestra, played in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and been the concertmaster of the Iceland Symphony Youth Orchestra and other youth orchestras in Iceland, as well as performing with various artists at recordings, concerts and music festivals in London, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. She plays regularly in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Ragnheiður Ingunn also holds a master’s degree in Cultural Management from Bifröst University and has worked as a project manager at the Reykjavík Opera Days since 2022.

Photo: Dominik Falenski, DR