The Iceland Symphony Orchestra
In the spring of 2011, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre became the home of the orchestra.
The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has been a leading force in Icelandic music for 75 years. It performs around 100 concerts each year with world-renowned conductors and soloists and collaborates with artists from other musical genres.
The orchestra was founded in the spring of 1950 and has for many years been at the forefront of orchestras in the Nordic countries. It has received excellent reviews for its recordings and concerts at home and abroad.
The orchestra records for domestic and foreign labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Sono Luminus, Chandos, and BIS. The recordings have received numerous awards, including a Grammy Award nomination for best orchestral album.
Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen has been the principal conductor and artistic director since 2020. Osmo Vänskä is the orchestra's honorary conductor, and Vladimir Ashkenazy is its principal honorary conductor. Anna Þorvaldsdóttir took over the position of resident composer at the beginning of 2018 after Daníel Bjarnason had held the position for three years. Still, now they hold the position of artists in collaboration with the orchestra. Ólafur Kjartan Sigurðarsson is the orchestra's resident artist for the 2024-25 season.
Upcoming concerts