Bára Grímsdóttir singing at the NHM 2011 (foto: Floris van der Meijs)

Bára Grímsdóttir is regarded as one of the best traditional singers in Iceland: She grew up surrounded by folk songs, sung by her parents and grandparents at the family farm Grímstunga in Vatnsdalur. She is specially interested in the old rímur and kvæðalög styles of song, and is a well respected composer and arranger.
She plays the two traditional Icelandic instruments, fiðla and langspil, and also the Finnish kantele. Since 2000, Bára performs traditional Icelandic music together with Chris Foster in the duo FUNI.
Together, they have been teaching Icelandic music at previous Nordic Harp Meetings in Norway (2010, 2014), Denmark (2012, 2016), Sweden (2013, 2018) and Estonia (2017).

At the Nordic Harp Meeting 2022, Bára and Chris will give the workshop ‘How many notes does it take to make a good tune?’ We will explore some typical tunes used for singing Icelandic rímur (epic ballads). We will listen to archive recordings, and sing together. Instrumentalists are welcome to come and pluck along. Everything will be done ‘by ear’.