Steinunn Ragnarsdóttir earned her Master degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston in 1987 and performed as a concert pianist for many years. She founded the Reykholt Music Festival in 1997. She took on the position as the Artistic Director of Harpa Concert Hall in 2010 and has been the Artistic Director and CEO of the Icelandic Opera since 2015. She was invited by the DeVos Institute to participate in a three year Arts management Fellowship program at the Maryland University and holds an Executive diploma from Harvard Business School. She appears frequently as a speaker in various conferences and works internationally as a Creative Leadership and Performing Arts consultant.

"I am passionate about the future of the Opera artform and how we can make sure it stays relevant. The NOD dialouge on November 1-3rd is a vital step in creating a platform for this evolution. How are the Opera houses going to support and nurture the creative teams they commission to create new works and how can we make sure that the education and training of the new opera creators is well structured and empowering. Those are amongst the many questions and concerns that come to mind and I look very much forward to taking part in the discussions in Frankfurt."