A few fab musicians and me just started a new festival in Iceland. It’s an international baroque music festival, took place a few days before Easter and was a raving success!
Reykjavík Early Music Festival is the first international early music festival in Reykjavík and the inaugural edition was 26th-28th March 2024 in Harpa Concert Hall. The festival team, led by artistic director and violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, created a unique platform for the collaboration of Icelandic and international music groups that specialize in historical performance practice.
The festival offers a varied program with both up-and-coming and world-renowned musicians who performed in four evening concerts over three days. Amaconsort and Consortico presented exciting chamber music programmes, the Polish baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori performed with superstar violinist Rachel Podger, and Iceland’s leading early music ensemble Barokkbandið Brák was joined by the amazing soloists: French cellist Vladimir Waltham, violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir and myself. Rachel Podger also gave an open masterclass organized in collaboration with MÍT music College and LHÍ, the Iceland University of the Arts, in Norðurljós, Harpa.
The festival is definitely here to stay - see you there next year!
A review from Morgunblaðið for our opening concert - it got 6 out of 5 stars!