About Skálholt Summer Concerts
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Skálholt Summer Concerts is Iceland’s oldest summer music festival, founded in 1975 by harpsichordist Helga Ingólfsdóttir (1942-2009). During the first years of the festival, the focus was mostly on baroque music, but since 1978 new compositions have been premiered every year. At the moment the main emphasis of Skálholt Summer Concerts is on contemporary music and early music performed on period instruments. Both composers and performers are residents for a period of time for the festival events, from early July to early August. The concerts are held in Skálholt Church which was built in the nineteen-sixties, at the oldest bishopric in Iceland dating from 1056.
The festival has access to convenient accommodation facilities for musicians, who in most cases stay there for a week at a time enjoying their work in good rehearsal and lecture rooms. Rehearsals also take place in the Church. Recently Skálholt Church received a generous donation from the legendary Dutch violinist Jaap Schröder, namely his collection of scores and books on Music and other Art, thereby commencing the foundation of a Music Library in Skálholt. Jaap Shröder was a dear friend of The Skálholt Summer Concerts and performed there annually for many years. Apart from public concerts, lectures and workshops in Skálholt over the period of five to six weeks every summer, the festival takes part in CD releases for international distribution and musical scores publications. Also, a big part of the musical compositions commissioned over the years for the festival have become standard repertoire and have been performed internationally. Artistic directors and managers: Ásbjörg Jónsdóttir and Birgit Djupedal sumartonleikar.skalholt@gmail.com Board: Guðrún Birgisdóttir (chair) Elín Gunnlausgdóttir Margrét Bóasdóttir |
How to get there
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Address of venue: Skálholt, 801 Selfoss
Directions from Reykjavik: Road nr. 1 towards Vík. After aprox. 45 minutes turn left on road 35 towards Geysir and then after about 25 minutes turn right on road 31 where there is a sign to Skálholt, and after 2 kilometres you are here. |
Nordic Early Music Federation
Skálholt Summer Concerts became a member of Nordic Early Music Federation in 2011.
NORDEM is a Nordic network for festivals, ensembles and institutions that perform and promote early music. Members meet twice a year in one of the member countries.
NORDEM is a Nordic network for festivals, ensembles and institutions that perform and promote early music. Members meet twice a year in one of the member countries.