Background
Jórunn Viðar was born and grew up in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Jórunn Viðar was born and grew up in Reykjavík, Iceland.
In 1937 she graduated from Reykjavík Grammar School, and in 1937 traveled to Germany to study at the Music Academy in Berlin for two years. In 1946 the family spent a period of time in New York City where she studied composition at the Juilliard School of Music, and after the family moved back to Iceland, Jórunn worked as a pianist and accompanist.