Öldutúnsskóli Choir Celebrates its 60th Anniversary

Öldutúnsskóli Turns Sixty

“Six decades of singing, friendship, rehearsals, and travel. This is no small story that we are honoring today,” said Valdimar Víðisson, mayor, in a speech at the 60th anniversary of the Öldutúnsskóli Choir held over the weekend. The choir’s work over these six decades is unique. Only two conductors have led the choir during this entire period. The choir is nationally renowned.

The Öldutúnsskóli Choir was founded in 1965 by music teacher Egill Friðleifsson. “He saw an opportunity to give the students a vibrant choral life and create a space where children could experience joy, energy, and togetherness through singing,” said Valdimar at the anniversary celebration. Egill led the choir for about four decades as the school’s music teacher and conductor. The choir became one of the most well-known children’s choirs in the country, recording albums and performing widely. After Egill, Brynhildur Auðbjargardóttir took over the choir and still conducts it today.

“Under her leadership, the choir has not only continued, it has grown, developed, and flourished,” Valdimar noted.

The Öldutúnsskóli Choir has traveled extensively, participated in choral festivals, sung with children from other countries, and explored new cultural experiences. Valdimar said these trips shaped the children, broadened their horizons, boosted their confidence, and created lifelong memories.

“The greatest achievement of the choir conductors cannot be measured in albums or concerts. It is all the children they reached. All those who found confidence in their voices and singing. That cannot be measured in money.” The choir is an inseparable part of Öldutúnsskóli’s identity.

“Thank you, Egill, for pioneering this work, for the courage to start a choir in 1965, and for continuing steadfastly for decades. You have left a profound mark on countless children’s lives and on Hafnarfjörður’s cultural history,” said Valdimar. “Thank you, Brynhildur, for taking the baton and carrying it forward with passion, professionalism, and sincere love for children and music. You have shown that the choir is a lively, modern, and dynamic group that performs both at home and abroad.”

Valdimar also thanked teachers, staff, and school administrators, noting that he himself worked at Öldutúnsskóli for sixteen years. “It is not a given that choral work holds this position. It requires planning, flexibility, and belief in the importance of the arts in education.” He also thanked parents and guardians. “Without you, no one would have come to the first rehearsal—except maybe the conductor. You support, shuttle, and listen.” He concluded by thanking the students:

“You who stand here in the choir today, you are the present and the future. You continue a story that began long before smartphones and social media existed.”