From Iceland — State Of The Art Festival Mixes The Modern With The Traditional (2024)

Do the properties of a classical composition change when performed at a car repair shop in Kópavogur? What’s the best type of dance music and why is it 18th-century baroque? These are only some of the questions posed by the State of the Art festival, happening for the first time between October 8-13. Pairing together classical and popular music, the festival presents unconventional events set in unconventional locations.

Founded by local musicians-about-town Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason, Bergur Þórisson, Magnús Jóhann Ragnarsson and Sverrir Páll Sverrisson, the group’s combined experience is virtually unmatched. Connected through friendship and professional collaboration, Bjarni, Bergur and Sverrir have all worked in multiple capacities with Björk, while Magnús is considered the genre-sprawling workhorse of Iceland’s pop and jazz scene.

“We present music from various periods in a new context,” says Magnús, laying down State of the Art’s mission statement in its most simplified form. “That can mean baroque music, as well as contemporary music —which, in turn, includes pop and jazz,” he elaborates. Presenting eight events over six days, State of the Art’s programme is as varied as it is far-fetched. Piano concerts at the mechanic’s, baroque music mixed with electronica, and a creative flow between a musician and visual artist are only some of the festival’s components.

Hard to find performances

Derived from Magnús’ four-night concert series in Mengi in 2023, State of the Art is also partly influenced by pianist Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson’s Midsummer Music Festival, which ran from 2012 to 2019. Attempting to mix the modern with the traditional, State of the Art doesn’t confine itself within the musical framework, instead aiming to fold in both visual art and symposium events.

It’s not an issue for us to attend a symphony concert at Harpa but we realise that’s a big package for a lot of people.

“There’s perhaps a slight classical bias in our scheduling, if we can put it that way,” Magnús clarifies. “But it’s not the intention that this is a classical festival. This is not a jazz festival either. It’s more of an experimental kitchen. I think the overarching concept is that the majority of the schedule is something that you wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

“We wanted to try and mix different elements and place them in a new context,” Sverrir says. “Partly, I think it’s an effort to try and cater to people on both ends of the spectrum— those who aren’t used to attending either pop or classical shows.”

The contemporary echo chamber

Having “long turned crazy in an echo chamber,” Bergur emphasises the need for a dimension of accessibility. “It’s not an issue for us to attend a symphony concert at Harpa, but we realise that’s a big package for a lot of people. We’re trying to take the edge off and just present the music,” he says.

“We’re in an echo chamber and the lines between music genres are constantly fading,” Magnús adds. “To me, contemporary music is pop by Flóni and Bríet, as well as the ‘composed’ music,” he says, referring to the Composer Carousel — a festival event where each participant writes a piece for the next individual in the circle, who in turn performs it and writes another composition.

We’re still figuring out what will exactly happen.

“The ‘composed’ music falls better under the definition of contemporary music or classical,” Magnús continues. “It’s perhaps less accessible. It’s more instrumental, so it has fewer listeners than mainstream pop music. That’s why it needs to be supported, so it can reach the ears of people.”

Not messing around

Admitting that the idea behind State of the Art (and its name) seems comedic, the founders are by no means joking around. Rather, they are walking a fine line between not taking themselves seriously and boldly presenting a novel take on the tried-and-true festival concept.

“We sat down with an empty page and started blurting out ideas,” Bergur describes. “There were a lot of ideas that didn’t make it through. Some of them were too much in the direction of comedy, but we decided to keep some of the jokes in,” he says, explaining that the Baroque at the Club event was initially conceived as a foam party. “We soon realised that people wouldn’t really be interested in that.”

Organising and executing a festival for the first time, the quartet confesses the uncertainty they face. “Every meeting starts with the words, ‘Shouldn’t we just cancel?’” Sverrir jokes. “But we’re stuck with it,” Bergur responds.

No one, not even the festival coordinators, knows exactly what’s in store — but that only adds to State of the Art’s allure. “I think most of the scheduling is kind of personal. As in, it’s not a programme that’s tried and tested,” Bjarni says. “No one’s bringing a product that’s undergone a thousand festivals. We’re still figuring out what exactly will happen.”

State of the Art takes place between October 8-13. Some of its programming includes Bríet performing with free jazz group ADHD; Miguel Atwood-Ferguson performing with Elja Ensemble; and a symposium on Icelandic electronic music. Full festival price is 14.900 ISK with single-event tickets available as well as free entry to some. For more information, visit stateoftheartfestival.is.

Author’s note: Bjarni Frímann’s surname was typed incorrectly in the printed version. It has been corrected in the online version.