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Arctic Concerts

Every Thursday nights at 20.30  throughout the summer season

 Arctic Concerts is a series with outstanding Icelandic and Nordic musicians, performing diverse musically interesting programs for travelers, as well as locals, at the Nordic House. The concert series is ideal for travelers interested in music from Iceland and the North Atlantic region. The different programs vary in stile;  classical, jazz, folk and popular music performed by superb local musicians and Nordic guests, mainly with music from Iceland and it’s neighboring countries.

FUNI (an old Icelandic word meaning fire) are Bára Grímsdóttir and Chris Foster, consummate performers of the traditional songs of Iceland and England.  Iceland’s unique, and varied folk song heritage has, sadly, remained largely unheard by today’s folk and world music audiences.  Bára and Chris started working together in 2001, breathing new life into great songs that have been hidden for too long in old recordings, little known books and manuscripts and they have also added new songs to the tradition. In the past, these songs were usually performed unaccompanied.  Now, FUNI adds accompaniments using the traditional Icelandic langspil and fiðla, guitar, kantele and hammer dulcimer in a spell binding mix and they also often accompany their music with dramatic displays of old and new photographs.

Since 2001 Bára and Chris have performed and taught at festivals, concerts, summer schools and on radio and TV in Belgium, China, Denmark, Eire, Finland, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA as well as throughout Iceland and Britain.  In 2009 they started teaching the first degree level Icelandic traditional music course at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts.

Funi, is among the most highly rated ensembles playing authentic folk music in Iceland. Bára Grímsdóttir and Chris Foster have developed a unique sound, playing ancient northern instruments as well as singing and chanting rimes.

Admission fee to  Arctic Concerts is ISK 2.500.

 The different programs vary in stile; classical, jazz, folk and popular music performed by superb musicians

07.7. KK singer/songwriter – mixed

14.7. Arctic Broken Consort – mixed

21.7. Sunna Gunnlaugsdóttir- jazz

28.7. Funi – folk

04.8. Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir & Jóhannes Andreasen – songs

11.8. Svavar Knútur – troubadour

18.8. Sölvi Kolbeinsson – jazz

25.8. Svafa Þórhallsdóttir – songs

Dinner and a concert

The exceptional Aalto Bistro  (the Nordic House restaurant) is open for dinner before the concerts, offering a special Arctic dinner for concert guests. Aalto Bistro emphasis on Nordic food inspired by central European cuisine. Book a table   AAlto kitchen is open till 21.30 on Thursday evenings.

Transportation:

The Nordic House is in central Reykjavík. The walking distance from the city center is approx. 15 minutes. You can also use Strætó and take route 15 and get off at “Íslensk Erfðagreining”. You can also take route 14 and get off at the University of Iceland. We recommend www.straeto.is to find the most suitable route.

Painting: Georg Guðni, 2001