Gulli Bjornsson (b.1991) is a guitarist, composer and programmer from Iceland whose music typically ties electronics, live instruments and visuals to experiences in nature. Gulli´s music has been described as “hypnotic” (News Gazette) “a knockout – wondrously inventive” (Soundboard Magazine) and “Virtuosic, modern, occasionally discordant, but still accessible” (Classical Guitar Magazine).
He has written for New Jersey Symphony, Alarm Will Sound, Sō Percussion, Aizuri Quartet, Iarla Ó Lionáird, New York Classical Guitar Orchestra, Contemporaneous, Amanda Gookin, Dither, Jiji, Vicky Chow, Steve Cowan, Mirror Strings amongst others.
His compositions have recently been featured by Carnagie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Le Poisson Rouge, Caramoor, Green Music Center, Centre Culturen Canadian Paris, San Fransisco Performances, New York Guitar Festival, Boston Celebrity Series, Harriman-Jewell Series, Le Poisson Rouge, Purdue Convocations, Krannert Center, Rockefeller Tri-University, KPU music, NDR Kultur, Ung Nordisk Musik, Oh My Ears Festival, Nantucket Musical Arts Society, BU Tanglewood Institute amongst others.
Gulli has received accolades for his compositions from Changsha, Rust and Veria International Guitar Composition Competitions and received grants from distinguished institutions such as Fulbright, The American Scandinavian Foundation, Valitor, Landsbankinn and The International Advisory Board. He has also been the recipient of multiple awards for his guitar playing: 1st prize at Nótan (a national music competition in Iceland), winner of The Lilian Fuch’s Chamber Music Competition and a finalist in The ASTA National Solo Competition, European Guitar Award and The International Young Talents Competition. Gulli was also the recipient of The Eliot Fisk Prize and The Andrés Segovia Award for his studies at Yale School of Music and Manhattan School of Music.
Gulli is an Augustine Artist and exclusively plays on Augustine Strings. He is currently pursuing his PhD in music composition from Princeton University and holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music and Princeton and worked as professor of electronic composition at the University of Kansas from 2022-24.
You can follow Gulli and see what he's up to on his artist pages:
https://www.facebook.com/gulli.bjornsson/
https://www.instagram.com/gulligitar/
Honors and Awards
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Recording grant from FÍH Cultural Fund for ‘Landslög’ 2023
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European Guitar Award - Finalist 2021, 2016
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Prize Winner of Veria International Guitar Festival Guitar Duo Composition Competition 2020 for ‘Repetitive Concert Etudes no.4 and 6’
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Fenton Brown Emerging Artist 2020
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Ung Nordisk Musik 2020 for ‘Bylur’
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Ung Nordisk Musik 2019 for ‘Dimmar Öldur Rísa’
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Yale School of Music - Eliot Fisk Prize 2018
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Recording Grant from FÍH Cultural Fund for ‘Bergmál’ 2018
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Finalist in Changsha International Guitar Composition Competition 2018 - for ‘Prelude no.1 and 4’
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2nd Prize - Guitar Festival Rust International Composition Competition 2017
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Grant from Landsbankinn 2016
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Thor Thor’s Grant from The American Scandinavian Foundation 2016
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Fulbright Scholarship 2015
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International Young Talents Competition - Finalist 2015
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Manhattan School of Music - Andrés Segovia Award 2014
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American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition - Finalist 2013
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Grant from Valitor 2012
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Winner of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition 2013
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Grant as an 'Exceptional Young Artist' from Kopavogur 2011
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Winner of Notan competition as soloist Iceland 2010
Discography
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