Violist MARGRÉT HJALTESTED enjoys a diverse career as a freelance violist, teacher and project manager. Icelandic born, she splits her time between New York City, Reykjavik and Lubec, Maine.

Margrét has been a recitalist and chamber musician in concerts at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, and the Tenri Gallery. She is a founding member and co-director of the baroque ensemble, Queens Consort. Margrét has played with many orchestras, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the Albany Symphony, and as a baroque violist she has performed with The American Classical Orchestra, Abendmusik and La Fiocco. She has toured internationally with the New York Symphonic Ensemble on its annual tour of the Far East, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti’s International Farewell Tour, Andrea Boccelli’s Tour 2022 and the Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. Margrét has performed and recorded with many popular artists, including Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, and Paul McCartney. Her many television appearances include the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Night Show with David Letterman, and the historic broadcast at Madison Square Garden in October 2001 ‘The Concert for New York City’.

Margrét maintains a hybrid private studio for adults/amateur string players at all levels in New York City. She is a popular chamber music workshop coordinator and string coach in the Tri-State Region, New England, Canada, and Iceland. Margrét is former faculty member at Queens College and SummerKeys in Lubec, Maine.

She received her B.Mus. from The Juilliard School, M.Mus. from Mannes College of Music and M.C.M (Master of Creative Management) from Bifröst University in Iceland.