A Conversation in G minor

This concert features cellist María Qing Sigríðardóttir and pianist Ásta Dóra Finnsdóttir, where they will introduce and perform Beethoven's Sonata in G minor.
The piece is regarded as one of Beethoven's greatest contributions to chamber music for cello and piano and is characterized by a lively and intense dialogue between the two instruments, where they both sing hand-in-hand and paint the music together.
Ásta Dóra Finnsdóttir was born in 2007. She has played the piano since she was five years old, first studying in Iceland and later in Oslo, Norway, where she was instructed by Marina Pliassova at the Barratt Due Institute of Music. In 2025 she began studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, USA, with Ignat Solzhenitsyn.
Ásta Dóra performed her solo debut at 14 years old with Iceland's Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in various international festivals and competitions, such as the Samson François competition in France and the Van Cliburn Junior Piano Festival and Competition in Texas.
María Qing Sigríðardóttir, born in 2004, has studied the cello from the age of five. She a sought-after cellist who regularly performs all over Europe and has played close to 70 varied concerts during the past year.
María has a passion for chamber music and for exploring different musical styles with other musicians. She also strives to share music with the general public in various ways, particularly in relation to her role as a recipient of Live Music Now, Yehudi Menuhin's grant for young and talented musicians.
In 2024, she won the Icelandic Young Soloist competition, which led to her performing with Iceland's Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Petri Sakari. In 2025, she held a 50% position as an intern with Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz. María currently studies with professor Conradin Brotbek at The State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart.