ISO Youth Orchestra at Dark Music Days

American composer John Luther Adams has drawn considerable attention in recent years, not least because of his nature-inspired works. One of them is Sila: The Breath of the World. According to Inuit tradition, sila is “the spirit that animates all things.” The Inuit use the word to describe the forces of nature, but they also use it to describe consciousness: “our awareness of the world around us and the world's awareness of us.”

Sila is composed for a group of performers spread around a large space, where members of the audience can walk around and find themselves a listening spot that suits them. The composer says, “This is music that breathes.” All of the performers are soloists who play their parts at the tempo they consider appropriate. The public is invited to hear Iceland Symphony Youth Orchestra and students from the Iceland Academy of the Arts perform Adams' inspired piece, under the leadership of Daníel Bjarnason. 

The event is free and open to the public.