Helgi was born in Iceland and grew up in Kopavogur. He did his Icelandic A Levels at Hamrahlid College in Reykjavik, and then did a BA at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. Upon graduating, he started his teaching career in an elementary school in Kopavogur, then taught at Listaskóli Mosfellsbæjar (an art school), and then at Tonsalir Music School. In his mid-twenties he moved to Malmö, then Stockholm, to study Swedish, and shortly thereafter to London where he entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to continue his studies, earning a Master of Music (MMus) with distinction. This was followed by a Fellowship in Music, and now he is working on his Doctorate of Music (MPhil/DMus), also at the Guildhall School, supported by the Guildhall School Trust. In this capacity, he has lectured at institutions such as the Guildhall School, King’s College, the DIT Conservatory of Music & Drama in Dublin and at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. He has also written chamber operas, including one commissioned by London’s Courtauld Gallery and Kopavogur’s Art Council. He also leads and conducts the Icelandic Choir of London and was recently appointed Associate Music Director of Euphonia Opera. His own studies have been supported by grants and awards from prestigious UK and Icelandic musical and cultural bodies.
During this time, while honing his skills as an internationally-renowned composer and conductor, Helgi has worked as a teacher of Icelandic Literature A at Southbank International School, an IB World School, where he has received IB training. Helgi’s passion for the expressive arts provides an inspiring platform for students of IB Icelandic Literature.
