IS

The History

of Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1950, The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading Nordic orchestras through its acclaimed performances and recordings. The artistic achievement of the ISO is even more remarkable given that in Iceland, the classical music tradition only began in the 20th century. The first concert by a full symphony orchestra was given in 1926, when the Hamburg Philharmonic toured Iceland and Norway under the direction of Icelandic composer Jón Leifs. Around that time, a small ensemble called the Reykjavík Orchestra (Hljómsveit Reykjavíkur) had begun to give concerts in the nation's capital, but it was only in 1950 that the state and municipal authorities, along with the Icelandic Radio, reached an agreement to found a symphony orchestra.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has been led by nine music directors throughout its history: Olav Kielland (Norway), Bohdan Wodiczko (Poland), Karsten Andersen (Norway), Jean-Pierre Jacquillat (France), Petri Sakari (Finland), Osmo Vänskä (Finland), Rico Saccani (US), Rumon Gamba (UK), Ilan Volkov (Israel) and Yan Pascal Tortelier (France).  The orchestra also maintains a long-standing relationship with Vladimir Ashkenazy, who began conducting in Iceland in 1972 and now holds the post of Conductor Laureate. Osmo Vänskä currently holds the title of Honorary Conductor as well as the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor. The orchestra also collaborates regularly with such eminent conductors as Eivind Aadland, Eva Ollikainen, Carlos Kalmar, James Gaffigan, Ludovic Morlot and Hannu Lintu.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra consists of 90 full-time members and can be enlarged to 100 players if needed. It gives around 60 concerts each season, including subscription concerts in Reykjavík, family concerts, recordings, and local as well as international tours. It has performed in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Austria, France, and the United States. Its first concert in Carnegie Hall, under the direction of Osmo Vänskä in 1996, proved a defining moment for the orchestra, lauded by Alex Ross of the New York Times for its “staggeringly good” performance.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra records regularly for BIS, Chandos and Naxos. Its cycle of Sibelius symphonies for Naxos, under the direction of Petri Sakari, has received great acclaim and is the orchestra's best-selling release to date. It is currently in the process of recording the complete orchestral music of Jón Leifs (BIS) and Vincent d'Indy (Chandos), the first volume of which was nominated for a Grammy-award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2009. 

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra is funded by:

  • Icelandic Government 82%

  • City of Reykjavík 18%

In addition, ISO receives generous donations by the following companies:

Proud Sponsor:

Sponsor in Transport:

Tvg-minna