Projects

Barokkbandið Brák

Barokkbandið Brák was founded in 2015 in collaboration with Elfa´s collegues Guðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir and Laufey Jensdóttir. The ensemble mainly consists of Icelandic musicians who all share a passion for historically informed performance of Renaissance and Baroque music and seek to bring the music from this period to a wide audience in Iceland and abroad.

Reykjavík Early Music Festival is the first international early music festival in Reykjavík and the inaugural edition will take place from 26-28 March 2024 in Harpa Concert Hall. The festival team, led by artistic director and violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, has created a unique platform for the collaboration of Icelandic and international music groups that specialize in historical performance practice. 

The festival offers a varied program with both up-and-coming and world-renowned musicians who will perform in four evening concerts over three days. Amaconsort and Consortico will present exciting chamber music programmes, the Polish baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori will perform with superstar violinist Rachel Podger, and Iceland’s leading early music ensemble Barokkbandið Brák will be joined by three amazing soloists: French cellist Vladimir Waltham, soprano Herdís Anna Jónasdóttir and violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir. Rachel Podger will also give an open masterclass organized in collaboration with MÍT music College in Norðurljós, Harpa. 

Ensemble Promena is a newly founded ensemble dedicated to remaining flexible. It takes its name from the Czech word meaning metamorphosis, and true to its name, the ensemble can transform from a duo to a chamber orchestra to perform a wide range of repertoire on historical instruments. At its core, the ensemble specialises in performing late classical and romantic repertoire on the instruments that the composers would have known, but also occasionally takes a walk through time to play music from the early Baroque all the way to brand new works, creating varied and unusual programmes along the way. Led by Icelandic violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, the ensemble draws its players from among the most highly-regarded members of the European early music scene, who bring a wealth of invaluable expertise to each project alongside their prized playing skills.

Czech: proměna [ˈpromɲɛna] {noun f}: metamorphosis, transformation, shapeshifting

French: promena [pʁɔm.na] third-person singular past historic of promener {reflexive verb}: to walk (leisurely), to go for a walk, to stroll