Hugi Gudmundsson opens the season as Composer in Residence of Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The acclaimed Icelandic composer will compose four orchestral works for Iceland Symphony Orchestra during the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. He writes:
About two years ago I was in conversation with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Barbara Hannigan and immediately sensed a strong interest in possible collaboration. It therefore came as a very pleasant surprise when they developed the idea of an even broader partnership, in the form of a composer-in-residence position with the orchestra. I was 16 years old when I bought my first subscription series with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestra played a major role in my musical upbringing and in shaping me as a music lover. I have worked with the orchestra before and know many of its outstanding musicians. I really look forward to collaborating with Barbara Hannigan and the entire orchestra on the exciting projects ahead.
- Hugi Guðmundsson
Gudmundsson's first work, Undark for orchestra and soprano, was featured at the season opening concert 'Attaccca!' in Harpa, Reykjavík on Thursday 3 September 2026 with Barbara Hannigan as soloist and conductor. It was also the first performance with Hannigan as the orchestra's new Chief Conductor and Artistic Director.
Listen to the World Premiere of Undark with
Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Barbara Hannigan
(Available to stream until 3 October 2026)
The 12-minute orchestral piece is inspired by the self-luminous, radium-based paint brand 'Undark' which was used by clock dial painters in the 1920s known as the 'Radium Girls'. In his programme note, the composer writes: 'Because radium is a 'bone-seeker' - chemically similar to calcium - the bodies of the painters unknowingly absorbed the element into their very structure, permanently integrating the glowing paint into their skeletons. This radioactive legacy means that their bones remained luminous long after death - a ghostly, spectral glow that will persist for thousands of years.'
Following Undark, Hugi Gudmundsson is currently working on his next orchestral work, Freyja, a concerto for Barbara Hannigan to be premiered on 27 May 2027. Written in close collaboration with Hannigan and the Canadian author Julie Salverson, who has also provided the text for the piece, Freyja is inspired by the remarkable life of Icelandic-Canadian suffrage activist and journalist, Margrét Benedictsson (1866–1956). Read more and buy tickets here.
Details
3 September 2026 at 19.30
Hugi Gudmundsson: Undark
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Barbara Hannigan, conductor and soprano
Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland
Read more
27 May 2027 at 19.30
Hugi Gudmundsson: Freyja
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Barbara Hannigan, conductor and soprano
Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland
Read more
