Grammy Celebration

Celebrating Daníel Bjarnason and the Iceland Symphony's recent Grammy nomination for Best Orchestral Performance for the album Concurrence, as well as the release of Occurence, the third album in the orchestra's collaboration with record label Sono Luminus, this concert features works from both albums, painting a vivid picture of Icelandic music today.

In recent years, Daníel Bjarnason has established himself as one of Iceland's foremost musicians. His Violin Concerto, written for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was premiered by the LA Phil on an outdoor stage at Hollywood Bowl for an audience of over 15,000. It has been universally praised by critics, as has the inspired performance by trail-blazing Finish virtuoso Pekka Kuusisto, for whom it was written.

Metacosmos, by the Iceland Symphony's composer-in-residence, Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, was written for the New York Philharmonic and premiered there in April 2018 under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. In yet another indicator of Anna's stature in the world of music, the Berlin Philharmonic will perform this new work just a few days prior to its Icelandic premiere.

Listen to the concert live on Channel 1 (Rás 1) of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV).

Also featured in the concert is María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir's Oceans. With a diverse career in music, Sigfúsdóttir is among the most noteworthy composers of her generation in Iceland. Her works have been performed by ensembles such as Nordic Affect and the London Sinfonietta, she has collaborated with a wide array of artists across fields and for years she has toured the world with her band amiina. Her work Oceans is inspired by the current state of the world's oceans, particularly the discarded plastic items floating around, forming large, never-perishing islands of toys and household items of bygone times.

Listen to the concert live on Channel 1 (Rás 1) of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV).

Ticket sales and concertgoer's guide
In accordance to local health regulations and to ensure the safety of our patrons, the Eldborg concert hall in Harpa has been divided into several areas, each with a maximum capacity of 200 guests. To ensure space between guests, one empty seat will be reserved between each ticket order. We also offer seats that ensure a distance of 2 meters on all sides, but these tickets must be booked through the Harpa ticket office, tel. 528-5050. Read our concertgoer's guide here.