BIO
Sóla Braga
Soprano
Nationality
Icelandic, born and raised. Given name: Sólrún Bragadóttir
Education
From the early age of 5, started taking music lessons and singing in choirs. From the age of 7, piano lessons and age of 16 private voice lessons at the Music Conservatory of Music in Kópavogur and Reykjavík. Bachelor and Masters degree in Solo singing and Voice Pedagogy from Indiana University in Bloomington IN. USA, studying with Prof. Roy Samuelson and Virginia Zeani-Rossi Lemeni. Roles sung on stage at the University; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Tsarina in Rimsky Korsakovs, Tsar Saltan. The last year of study an AI or assistant instructor with free tuition.
Masterclasses in Lieder taken with Elly Ameling, Gerard Sousay, Dalton Baldwin and Erik Werba.
Engagements in the Opera World
First engagement as the leading soprano at the theater in Kaiserslautern, Germany followed by an engagement at the opera in Hannover with guest contracts in f.ex. Düsseldorf, München Staatsoper, Heidelberg, Kassel, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Bremen, Kiel, Gelsenkirchen, Bern, Torino, Tsuyama in Japan, Reykjavík, Liége, Avignon, Palm Beach Opera House, Belfast.
Roles
Mimi (La Bohéme), Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica), Marzelline (Fidelio) Die Kluge (Die Kluge), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) Martha (Martha), Blumenmädchen I/I (Parsifal), Wellgunde (Rheingold/Götterdämmerung) Ortlinde ( Walküre) Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Elettra (Idomeneo), Fiordiligi ( Cosí fan tutte), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Liú (Turandot), Leonora (Fidelio – in a Concert), Margarete (Faust – in a Concert) Countess (Marriage of Figaro in 3 different langugages) Michaela (Carmen), Antonia (The tales of Hoffmanns) Gilda (Rigoletto), Marie (The bartered Bride), Desdemona (Otello/Verdi), Angelica (Orlando Paladino, Haydn) Pamina (The Magic flute).
Oratorien and Concerts
Requiem of Mozart, Verdi, Brahms (again in Tivoli Hall in Copenhagen June 2014) and Fauré. Beethoven´s 9th and Christus auf den Ölberge, Mozart´s Litanei and C minor mass, 2. Soprano, Carmina Burana, Schubert Magnificat, Händel; Messiah and The King shall rejoice. Rossini´s Stabat Mater. Chausson´s: Piano quintet with soprano; Chanson Perpétuelle, La poeme de l´amour e de la mer. Concerts with Wienna Operettas in Reykjavík and in Germany.
Dirigents: Mika Eichenholz, Páll Pampichtler Pálsson, Owain Arwel Hughes, Fabio Luisi, George Alexander Albrecht, Osmo Vänskä, Bernharður Wilkinson, Jón Stefánsson, Hörður Áskelsson, Lionel Friend, Hans Urbanek, Petri Sakari, Ulf Schirmer, Gabriel Chmura, Iain Sutherland andy more.
Lieder Abende
Many “Lieder Abende” in different countries on a regular basis with a big repertoire variety by composers like R. Strauss, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Duparc, Chausson, T. Rangström, Sibelius, Grieg, Atli Heimir Sveinssson and other Icelandic composers, Korngold, Hugo Wolf, Fauré, Rachmaninoff, and more.
With pianist such as Einar Steen Nökleberg, Jónas Ingimundarson, Gerrit Schuil, Margaret Singer, Davide Osellame, Anna Málfríður Sigurðardóttir, Irene Hasager, Semion Balschem, Nino Sanikidze, Andreas Lucewitz and more.
Bridging her Classical Art of Singing to the Spiritual World
In Concerts with a Pianist:
Sólrún has developed her own Concert Concept where she spontaneously picks the songs and arias by tuning into the collective energy and atmosphere created by the audience. The presentation is also channeled and not prepared. Not having a program in their hands, gives the listeners a unique opportunity to receive with their hearts and tune into total awareness of the Now. It creates a very special awareness and connection between the performer and the audience. The effect is a deeper giving and receiving from both sides.
A Soundhealer, Singing and Improvising a Cappella:
Besides being active as a soloist in the classical world, Sólrún has also developed her own song/sound- healing method that she calls Soulflowsinging. She has been developing and cultivating this method for almost 20 years now that is based on a long experience, working with different kinds of meditations, energy work, spiritual studies and experimenting with a cappella singing, improvisations and her classical performing. Her being a REIKI Master and a Guide in a Psycho Synthesis based therapy called Joyful Evolution has deepened the exploring and the discovering of new ways to approach singing that has resulted in powerful effects with sound, both in performance and healing. Her goal is to bridge the classical singing world with the spiritual world in performing and teaching for both singers and non-singers.
Sólrún’s own sound healing sessions are designed for smaller groups because of their intensity, where each participant gets an individual tuning into and healing. The session begins with a guidance into a deep meditation and alignment, to prepare the participants for the healing, creating a safe, loving space so that they can open up with more ease,let go and receive. She then walks around the participants, channels the energies in their masculine and feminine sides, allowing the voice to take off, expressing the individual’s energy field. The whole group is present while focusing on each individual and receiving, thus being in a shower of constant sound for approximately one hour. She also does improvisation sound healing performances in a larger context where the audience can close their eyes and relax while receiving a shower of healing sound. If the circumstances allow it, she walks around the audience and sings. The sound healing is usually without words, an improvisation that often is fragments of known melodies or even presented as a whole, sounds and melodic phrases. Sometimes she does a combination of singing songs with words and a wordless improvisation when with a larger group.
Animals:
Animals also have a special place in her heart. Through the enjoyment of having many cats and dogs for years and from taking care of friend’s pets, she has studied the reactions of dogs, cats and sheep to her sound with great joy. During the singing they usually are very calm and listen. For the more powerful sound, some do move around a bit in a state of curiosity, if hearing it for the first time. But never have reacted troubled. Others come running towards her to get closer to the sound. Usually they are very alert with their eyes on her, listening with great attention, yet staying calm and focused. A very good example of choosing to being in the now, in awareness while receiving the sound waves.
Teaching and Guiding:
Sólrún offers private sessions, different kind of workshops for non-singers, classical solo singers and choir singers, holistic masterclasses for classical singers and Retreats open to everyone. She guides people in mastering their vocal technique – breathing and toning – with a holistic approach through f ex. alignments, meditations, healing and energy based work for mind, body and spirit, also very much with an awareness and focus on nutrition and movement.
The Benefit:
In order to improve their knowledge of self and their voice.
To eliminate stage fright, step out of Ego while performing and engage the Soulflow.
To discover own voice,speaking and singing, express it in a state of soulflow and learn to let the voice be a compass toward a better balance and improved well being in life.
To learn to use as a compass for well being.
To master pure sound for healing and transforming of blockages.
The voice mirrors our state of being and does not lie! Embrace – Embody – Express is the motto for everyone who dares to dive into their own sound to heighten their vibration and increase the connection to their higher self. The singer’s focus is furthermore for unleashing her magnificent singing power by surrendering and stepping into service. For non singers, learning to use the voice for cleansing, uplifting and healing.
While living in Italy, Sólrún travels a lot with her work, singing and teaching. An example of a typical working trip was last March/April to Oslo and 4 other bigger towns in Norway, where she sang 4 Concerts, did 2 sound healing Evenings, 2 workshops for Choirs, an open workshop for everyone and private sessions. She then offers people to continue to work with their voices online, both as individuals and groups. Sólrún also travels regularly to Denmark and Iceland with her work.