Skálholt Summer Concerts 2010 start on July 3rd untill August 8th.
Telephone number during festival: (+354) 486 8824
Artistic director: Sigurður Halldórsson
E-mail: siha@ismennt.is, tel. 866 4600
Manager: Pamela De Sensi
E-mail: pamflute@hotmail.it, tel. 866 8229
About Skálholt Summer Concerts
Skálholt Summer Concerts is Iceland’s oldest summer music festival, founded in 1975 by harpsichordist Helga Ingólfsdóttir (1942-2009) , focusing at first on baroque music but from 1978 new compositions have been premiered every year. Now the main ephasis is on contemporary religeous music and early music where both composers and performers are resident for a period of time, for the festival events in July and early August at Skálholt Cathedral, built around 1960, at the oldest bishopric in Iceland dating from 1056.
The first commissioned piece was by Leifur Thórarinsson performed by the flautist Manuela Wiesler (1955 – 2006) who was one of the main resident artists during the first decade. Presently aproximately 200 new pieces have been premiéred from more then 50 composers of different nationalities.
The music history and heritage of Iceland from the Middle Ages has been intensively researched, partly with the support of Skálholt Summer Concerts. This has become another important feature, and many old manuscripts have come to life in Skálholt, both in the original version and as foundation for new works.
Helga Ingólfsdóttir, harpsichordist
Entrance to Skálholt Summer Concerts has always been free of charge. For that reason thousands of people who would otherwise hardly attend classical concerts have enjoyed the performances. This is regarded as one of the most valuable achievements of the festival.
The festival has access to convenient accommodation facilities for musicians, who in most cases dwell there for a week at a time, with good rehearsal/lecture rooms attached. Rehersals also take place in the Cathedral. Recently Skálholt Cathedral recieved a generous donation from the legendary Dutch violinist Jaap Schröder, who still comes to Skálholt every year, namely his collection of scores and books on Music and other Arts, therby commencing the foundation of a Music Library.
Apart from around 40 public concerts, lectures and workshops in Skálholt over the period of 6 weeks each summer, the festival takes part in CD releases for international distribution, musical scores publications and regular recident ensembles, such as the Skálholt Quartet, also travel frequently in Iceland and abroad. Also a big part of musical compositions commissioned through the years for the festival have become standard repertoire and has been performed internationally.
The Skálholt Summer Concerts have had composer-in-residence programme for many decades and also over a hundred musicians stay there for rehearsals, usually a week at a time each summer. The majority of composers have through the years been Icelandic, whereas the performers have come from many different countries, but in recent years composers from abroad have been invited more and more often.
Building new audiences and meeting the expectations of regular guests are the key factors of targeting strategy. No age group is excluded just as well as the participants come from all age groups. The festival has a growing audience, some of whom have been regular concert guests for decades. And the consistent contribution of young talent, and music workshops for children attached to the festival, leads to constant renewal and growth. There is extensive collaboration between the festival and Skálholt estate including use of the facilities, marketing and dissemination, and the bishop of Skálholt appoints the chairman of the board of Skálholt Summer Concerts that runs the project. For instance the Skálholt School hosts lectures in cooperation with the artistic director on many of the programs at the festival. The programs of the nordic focus will be covered to some extent in those lectures. The festival sends regular reports to the ministry of culture and education, to the Church of Iceland as well as other patrons and sponsors. Concrete material such as recordings are also regularly broadcasted on Icelandic Radio and scores of compositions premiered can be found in the Iceland Music Information Centre.