Hrolfur Saemundsson initially studied singing at the Reykjavik Vocal Academy before completing his MA in Music at the New England Conservatory in Boston, 2002.
He has performed extensively in operas and on the concert platform in Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Luxemburg, the UK, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the US, as well as in his native country Iceland. Since 2009, he has worked mainly in Germany. His most important roles thus far are Macbeth, Germont (la Traviata), Miller (Luisa Miller), Rodrigo (Don Carlo), Ford (Falstaff), Escamillo (Carmen), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Beckmesser (Die Meistersinger), Lord Ruthven (Der Vampyr), the Father (Hansel und Gretel), Sharpless (Madame Butterfly), Schaunard and Marcello (La Boheme), Onegin (Evgenyi Onegin), Figaro (Il barbiere), Ori in the acclaimed new opera Au Monde by Philippe Boesmans, Il Conte (le Nozze di Figaro), Don Giovanni and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte).
In the coming season he will sing Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Telramund in Lohengrin, Germont in La Traviata, and the titular character in Don Giovanni.
He has made CD recordings, most notably with the music of Sir John Tavener to much acclaim, as well as Mahler’s 8th symphony and two albums of Icelandic song. He has performed on radio and on television, both in Iceland and the UK.
Hrolfur was the Icelandic Wagner society’s singer of the year, and has been nominated to the Icelandic music awards.