Iceland's Nordic Affect Embark on First US Tour

Celebrated Icelandic ensemble Nordic Affect will tour the U.S. for the first time in April, with performances at Chicago's Constellation presented by the Frequency Series (April 9), Berkeley Art Museum's Full Series (April 11), the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Reykjavík Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall (April 13-15), and National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY (April 19). This all-female ensemble (Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, violin; Gudrún Hrund Hardardóttir viola; Hanna Loftsdóttir, cello; Gudrún Óskarsdóttir harpsichord) performs new music on period instruments, and brings to the U.S. a selection of music that features the intimate and unique sound that has emerged from the Icelandic scene in recent years, for varying combinations of violin, viola, cello, harpsichord, and electronics. Nordic Affect has been hailed for its "affectionate explorations" (BBC Music Magazine) and "commitment to their repertoire" (Classical Music). Founded in 2005, the group has created a highly unique voice, which has earned them international recognition; in 2013, Nordic Affect was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize and was named Performer of the Year at the Iceland Music Awards in 2014.

The tour coincides with the release of Nordic Affect's latest Sono Luminus recording, Raindamage, the follow-up album to the group's acclaimed 2015 release, Clockworking, which was featured on NPR's Songs We Love and Q2 Music, and in various best-of-the-year lists, including Steve Smith's Night After Night, The Chicago Reader, and The New Yorker. Raindamage offers music with connections to ecology, be it through references to nature, exploration of sound or interaction with the environment of the performance space. Nordic Affect's U.S. tour features works from the album by Valgeir Sigurðsson and Úlfur Hansson, as well as music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir, and premiere performances of new pieces by Jóhann Jóhannsson and María Huld Markan Sigfúsdottir.

More about Nordic Affect

Believing that music knows no boundaries, Nordic Affect has brought its music-making to contemporary and rock audiences alike and performed to critical acclaim at festivals such as TRANSIT festival (BE), Dark Music Days (IS), November Music (NL), BRQ Vantaa Festival (FI), Skálholt Summer Concerts (IS), Copenhagen Renaissance Festival (DK), Estonian Music Days (EE) and Iceland Airwaves (IS). Currently in residence at Skálholt Summer Concerts and Mengi, Reykjavík, Nordic Affect has also been announced as ensemble-in-residence at Dark Music Days, Iceland's leading contemporary festival. Exciting upcoming projects include performances in the UK and Spain, as well as a US tour in spring 2017, including appearances at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's highly anticipated Reykjavík Festival.

The commissioning and performance of new works is integral to Nordic Affect's mission as it has, from the group's inception, combined new compositions with the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition, the group's concert series in Reykjavík has been a platform for educational programming and presented many first performances in the country, be it of music by Telemann or 21st century composers. Their mission to spotlight women's role in music history has led to projects such as HÚN/SHE which was broadcast by the European Broadcasting Service in 2015. Nordic Affect also recently teamed up with Högni Egilsson, of the electronic band GusGus, in a program based around melancholy and the intimate. Nordic Affect is also a participant in the Iceland Music Information Centre's professional development program for young composers.

Starting with its debut album in 2007, Nordic Affect's recording projects have spanned newly discovered early music to first releases of music written for the ensemble. In addition to its Sono Luminus recordings, Nordic Affect's performances can be found on the Deutsche Grammophon, Bad Taste Records, Musmap, and Brilliant Classics labels.

The artistic director of Nordic Affect since its founding has been Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir.

Sunday, April 9 at 8:30pm | Constellation | 3111 N Western Ave. | Chicago, IL
Tickets: $15 at www.constellation-chicago.com/event/1433558-nordic-effect-chicago

Tuesday, April 11 at 7pm | BAMPFA Full Series | 2155 Center St. | Berkeley, CA
Tickets: Free with Museum admission
Information: www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/event/full-nordic

Thursday-Saturday, April 13-15 at 6:45pm | LA Phil's Reykjavík Festival
BP Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall | Los Angeles, CA
Tickets & information: www.laphil.com/tickets/reykjavik-festival

Wednesday, April 19 at 7pm | National Sawdust | 80 N. 6th St. | Brooklyn, NY
Tickets: $29 at www.nationalsawdust.org/event/nordic-affect

Nordic Affect: www.nordicaffect.com
Listen to Nordic Affect: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDilo1AQreo

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