Read an interview with Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson on The Babel Flute
Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson is the principal flutist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as a distinguished international soloist and chamber musician. He was appointed to the post in 2015 by Music Director Riccardo Muti. Prior to joining the CSO, he served as principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 2008-2016. A native of Iceland, Stefán has been praised by the New York Times for his agility and warmth of expression.c
Mr. Höskuldsson has performed widely throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan under the skilled direction of James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Barenboim, Seiji Ozawa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Riccardo Muti. He regularly performs at Carnegie Hall with the Met Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble and in 2009 he was featured as a soloist in Pierre Boulez’s Mémoriale-Explosant Fixe. Stefán has collaborated on performances and recordings with such artists as renowned pianists Evgeni Kissin, Alfred Brendel and Yefim Brofman, violinist Gil Shaham, and sopranos Diana Damrau and Anna Netrebko. As a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mr. Hoskuldsson has received two Grammy Awards in the category of best opera recording for Wagner´s Ring Cycle and Thomas Ades’ The Tempest.
His extensive solo performances include engagements with the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, recitals at the Sir James Galway International Flute Festival in Lucerne and a live radio broadcast with BBC Radio 3 In Tune in London. He frequently performs as a concerto soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, most recently in his critically acclaimed performance of the Mozart D major Flute Concerto.
Stefán is currently a professor at DePaul Univeristy School of music and has been a faculty member with the Pacific Music Festival in Japan since 2010. He has given master classes at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Royal Academy of Music.
Mr. Höskuldsson attended the Reykjavik School of Music in Iceland where he studied with Bernhard Wilkinson. Following his graduation, Stefán attended the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where he studied with Peter Lloyd and Wissam Boustany.
Höskuldsson can be heard and seen on live HD broadcasts with the Metropolitan Opera. He has recorded for Castle Classics and the Naxos label-American Classics Series. In 2015 he released his debut solo album on the Delos label.
Stefán plays the Emanuel Flute.
