About Stefán
Equally at home on the operatic mainstage and in concert settings across the United States and Europe, American-Icelandic tenor Stefán Víkingur is recognized for his dramatic versatility and exceptional linguistic facility. He is currently a Master of Music candidate in Vocal Performance at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he refines his artistry under the tutelage of the world-renowned soprano Ana María Martínez. At the Shepherd School, his operatic credits include Dr. Caius in Verdi’s Falstaff and Second Priest in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. This summer, Stefán joined the prestigious Aspen Music Festival as a Studio Artist, where he performed the role of Francis Flute in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream conducted by Dame Jane Glover.
Stefán’s professional development includes back-to-back summer residencies in 2024 and 2025 with the Janiac Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center. During his time there, he performed the comedic role of Le Comte Barigoule in Pauline Viardot's Cendrillon, alongside featured roles and ensemble appearances in core operatic staples including Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Puccini’s La Bohème, and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. He was also a featured soloist for Brevard’s An Evening of Jerome Kern And Friends, working closely with prominent Broadway music director Andy Einhorn, and appeared in the festival's An Evening of Operetta showcase the next year.
On the competition circuit, Stefán has consistently achieved high honors. In 2025, He was named a Regional Finalist in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, won the University of Arizona Concerto Competition for Voice, and secured first place in the Larry Day Vocal Competition. In early 2024, his performance of Martin Hennessy’s solo tenor chamber opera An Incident in Sutton Square at the National Opera Association Conference finals in Tempe, Arizona, drew critical acclaim. His interpretation earned high praise from the composer himself and was described as "stunning" by the renowned American composer Tom Cipullo. Earlier international credits include performances in Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, with the European opera festival Lyrique-en-Mer.
Deeply committed to programming rare and culturally significant vocal literature, Stefán recently made his New York City debut, participating in the historic American premiere of the complete art song works of Jórunn Viðar, the first female composer to achieve national breakthrough status in Iceland. A passionate advocate for Scandinavian vocal music, he presented and performed Viðar's works at the 2026 Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study Conference. This unique performance lineage is rooted in his undergraduate years at the University of Arizona School of Music, where he frequently curated diverse solo repertoire alongside staple undergraduate roles like Gabriel von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Shakur in Kamala Sankaram's Thumbprint, and The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.
Vocal Career
As a composer, Stefán’s output focuses heavily on vocal, choral, and orchestral music, directly informed by his firsthand understanding of physical vocal mechanics and dramatic storytelling. His portfolio has been showcased in several high-profile premieres, including a setting of Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry, Invitation to Love, and a compelling one-act opera, The Beach, which explores themes of grief and memory through an intricate, non-linear narrative.
During his tenure as the Assistant Artistic Director of Desert Voices, Tucson’s premier LGBTQIA+ community chorus, he was commissioned to write for their advanced chamber ensemble, PRISM. The resulting work, "Oh How Beautiful The Stars" (for which he also authored the text), premiered to warm acclaim. His recent compositional activities also include writing for performance workshops at Rice University, where his text-driven, lyrical soundscapes seamlessly pair expansive colors of the piano with a deep respect for the human voice.
Stefán’s multifaceted career reflects a profound commitment to artistic excellence and exclusivity, whether bringing new characters to life on the operatic stage or shaping the next generation of contemporary vocal music.