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Herdís Guðmundsdóttir

Second Violin

Born and raised in Reykjavík, Iceland, Herdís Guðmundsdóttir joins the Minnesota Orchestra’s second violin section in fall 2025. She has previously been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and a frequent substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She played as concertmaster for Yale Philharmonia and was a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble during the 2023 and 2024 summer seasons.

Guðmundsdóttir enjoys performing contemporary music, having premiered dozens of new works as a soloist and as a member of ensembles including the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, New Music New Haven, Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble, Elja Chamber Orchestra and Iceland Symphony Orchestra. In 2024 she performed as a soloist in Missy Mazzoli’s Violin Concerto Dark with Excessive Bright with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble in the North American premiere of the piece. In 2020, Guðmundsdóttir premiered Liam Kaplan’s Violin Concerto with conductor Tim Weiss and the Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble. During her time at Yale School of Music, she enjoyed playing the Baroque violin on several projects including with the Yale Schola Cantorum and Yale Voxtet.

An active chamber musician, Guðmundsdóttir frequently performs in Reykjavík. She has given several recitals with her husband and collaborator, Liam Kaplan, and together they perform in a newly formed piano trio with cellist Geirthrudur Anna Gudmundsdottir. She also appeared as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra after winning their young artist competition.

Guðmundsdóttir began her violin studies at age 5 with Lilja Hjaltdottir at the Allegro Suzuki School in Reykjavík, and subsequently studied with Gudny Gudmundsdottir and Sigrun Edvaldsdottir, earning a diploma from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2017 before moving to the United States to pursue her bachelor of music degree at Oberlin Conservatory with Sibbi Bernhardsson. Guðmundsdóttir is a graduate of the Yale School of Music, where she earned her master’s degree in the studio of Augustin Hadelich.