Airwaves 2013 - Another festival with fabulous music

This year I had the opportunity to attend one of Nadia Sirota’s concerts at Harpa—she is an American violist. I must say that having followed Nadia’s performances in Iceland for the last couple of years, Nadia continues to amaze with her virtuoso performances and range. The concert featured pieces by Valgeir Sigurðsson and Daníel Bjarnasson, two of the most creative Icelandic composers today. All three are members of Bedroom Community, an international group of composers and performers that are taking modern classical music to new levels. In fact, Nico Muhly who is also a member of Bedroom Community recently had the premiere of his Opera “Two Boys” at the Met in New York.

Tectonics – an intriguing event

The Embassy was very pleased to support the Icelandic Symphony’s latest project: the Tectonics Festival. We were attracted to it because it was daring, different, and it was aimed at bringing music to young audiences. The opening last night at Harpa was very special. It was a quite unique experience to walk into Harpa where nearly every balcony overlooking the atrium was lined up with young brass musicians playing “Fifty-Eight “ by American composer John Cage. I would recommend anyone interested in listening to something different and unique to attend the remaining performances on March 2 and 3. You will hear the Icelandic music stars of tomorrow.