Ari Þór Vilhjálmsson

Ari Þór Vilhjálmsson serves as Principal Second Violin of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.  Born 1981 in Reykjavík, Iceland, he worked with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2006 – 2014 before moving to Helsinki.  He has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. A dedicated teacher, Ari taught at the Reykjavík College of Music, working with many of Iceland’s most talented young violinists. He continues to teach students in Iceland and Finland, and performs solo and chamber music regularly in both countries. Growing up in the United States, Ari began playing the violin at the age of 5.  He later completed degrees from the Reykjavík College of Music, University of Illinois and Northwestern University.  His main teachers were Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, Rachel Barton Pine, Sibbi Bernharðsson, and Almita and Roland Vamos.

Ari Þór Vilhjálmsson er leiðari 2. fiðlu Fílharmóníusveitarinnar í Helsinki. Um árabil starfaði hann innan vébanda Sinfóníuhljómsveitar Íslands og var m.a. leiðari 2. fiðlu hljómsveitarinnar, en nú hefur hann starfað í Finnlandi um árabil. Hann hefur einnig spilað sem gestakonsertmeistari með Konunglegu Fílharmóníusveitinni í Stokkhólmi og Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse í Frakklandi. Ari Þór lauk einleikaraprófi frá Tónlistarskólanum í Reykjavík árði 2001 og stundaði frekara nám í Bandaríkjunum, m.a. við New England Conservatory of Music og Northwestern University. Helstu kennarar hans voru Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, Sigurbjörn Bernharðsson, Rachel Barton Pine, og hjónin Almita og Roland Vamos.