Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir is a harpist, performer, lecturer, composer, and artistic project leader. During her studies, she specialized in the performance practice of contemporary music, and since then, exploring and expanding the possibilities of the harp has been at the core of her diverse artistic career.

In 2013, she became the first harpist to earn a doctorate from the doctoral programme at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Her dissertation developed into a comprehensive encyclopedia of contemporary harp techniques and notation that is now widely used by composers, performers, and educators around the world (www.harpnotation.com).

In 2004, she co-founded the Berlin-based Ensemble Adapter with percussionist Matthias Engler. Furthermore she has performed with numerous leading European ensembles and orchestras, including Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, and Klangforum Wien. As a lecturer, she has been invited to teach at institutions including Stanford University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2017-18, and since 2014 she has directed the harp studio at the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music.

In recent years, Einarsdóttir’s artistic practice has increasingly expanded toward improvisation and composition, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with musicians, artists, and practitioners from other disciplines. While the harp remains central to her work, she actively expands her artistic vocabulary into other creative fields.