Opening Today: Dark Music Days Festival

It’s time to wipe away your (proverbial) emo-kid bangs, even if it’s still dim and dreary outside—because the Dark Music Days festival is here. Since 1980, this cosy festival has been providing much-needed light and inspiration during the darkest winter days, also offering emerging and established composers a platform to share new work written during their hibernation. The programme blends classical and electronic music, with highlights including Nordic Affect, The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and Þóranna Björnsdóttir, to name a few. For these three days at least, the dark ain’t such a bad thing after all.

The festival runs from January 28th to January 30th, with all but one event taking place in Harpa. Tickets run from 12,500 ISK for a festival pass, 7,500 ISK for a 5-day pass, and 2,000 ISK for a single event. Tickets can be purchased here.

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More information about the events can be found on our listings page:

Thursday, January 28

18:00 – Elektra Ensemble & Errata Collective
19:30 – Iceland Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Melkorka Og Víkingur’
21:30 – Dans les Arbres

Friday, January 29

12:00 – The Icelandic Guitartrio
16:00 – Töfrahurð – The Children Tackle The Composers
18:00 – Pianist Edda Erlendsdóttir
18:00 – Installation by Þóranna Björnsdóttir
19:00 – Basoonist Kristín Mjöll
20:00 – Caput
21:00 – Percussionist Jennifer Torrence
22:00 – Electroacoustic Concert

Saturday, January 30

12:00 – Töfrahurð Children’s Programme
13:00 – Organist Guðný Einarsdóttir
14:00 – Cellist Guðný Jónasdóttir
15:00 – Nordic Affect
16:00 – The Icelandic Saxophone Quartet
16:00 – Installation by Gunnar Karel
17:00 – ‘Vents du Nord’
18:00 – Vox Feminae
19:00 – Violinist Hlíf Sigurjónsdóttir
20:00 – ‘Skammdegi’
21:00 – Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra