Unnsteinn Árnason

Bass

Unnsteinn Árnason, bass, has performed a wide range of operatic roles on stage and appeared with prestigious opera houses and festivals across Europe, including Opernhaus Zürich and the Bregenzer Festspiele.

He has also been a prominent figure in Iceland's opera scene as one of the founding members of Kammeróperan, where his roles have included Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Carmen, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He has also appeared with the Icelandic Opera, including as the Commissioner in Madama Butterfly.

During the 2021–2022 season, he performed the role of Polyphemus in the world premiere production of Die Odyssee at Opernhaus Zürich and appeared at the Bregenzer Festspiele, singing the Commissioner in Madama Butterfly as well as Walinoff/Governatore in Siberia.

From 2017 to 2021, he was a member of the ensemble at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, where he performed more than a dozen roles, including the Hermit in Der Freischütz, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Lothario in Mignon, and Pietro in Simon Boccanegra.
In 2019, he was named Most Promising Young Singer at the Austrian Music Theatre Awards for his portrayal of Mr. Kofner in Der Konsul. In 2016, he was selected for the prestigious Young Singers Project at the Salzburg Festival.

Árnason studied voice at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna from 2013 to 2017 under the guidance of Karlheinz Hanser. Prior to that, he studied at the Reykjavík Singing School with Alexander Ashworth, Garðar Thór Cortes, and Viðar Gunnarsson. In 2013, he won the Young Soloists Competition, after which he made his debut with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at Harpa Concert Hall's Eldborg