The awesome band Personal Clutter will perform my piece Our Favorite Things at Brunel University.

Further information

Skerpla flytur verk eftir Yoko Ono, Jennifer Walshe, John Cage og meðlimi Skerplu á tónleikum í Mengi.

PROGRAM:
Yoko Ono - Dance Piece For Staged Performance
Jennifer Walshe - Zusammen i
Konrad Groen - No-Input Harmony
Dmitrijs Drobko — Expectations
Yuichi Yoshimoto - Daily
John Cage — Radio Music
Richard Bruce Greenwood — Extended Shapes
Pauline Oliveros — Old Sound New Sound Borrowed Sound Blue
Rashelle Reyneveld — Wrinkle in Time
Þórður Ingi Jónsson — Gnyðja mundu grísir

Founded in 2018, Skerpla is Iceland University of the Arts' Experimental Music Ensemble. Skerpla explores, creates and performs music in the expanded field. Skerpla is led by Berglind María Tómasdóttir, professor at Iceland University of the Arts and John McCowen part-time teacher at Iceland University of the Arts.

Source:: https://skerpla.lhi.is/

Skerpla er tónlistarhópur sem starfar innan Listaháskóla Íslands, stofnaður haust 2018. Skerpla rannsakar, skapar og flytur tónlist af tilraunakenndum toga með það að markmiði að víkka út hefðbundnar hugmyndir um tónlist. Berglind María Tómasdóttir, prófessor við Listaháskóla Íslands, og John McCowen, stundakennari við LHÍ leiða starfsemi Skerplu.

Nánar hér

Verk mitt minni ii: idyll kemur út á helstu streymisveitum. Verkið var samið fyrir Björgu Brjánsdóttur og er flutt af henni og pródúserað af Bergi Þórissyni. Hægt að hlusta hér.

Listen to minni ii: idyll by me, performed by Björg Brjánsdóttir.

Track photo: Birna Schram og George Smart

in residence w/ Rachel Beetz + Julie Herndon @Bard College

Pareidolia Memories w/ Rachel Beetz + Julie Herndon @ UMBC Baltimore, MD

Description

The Department of Music presents Rachel Beetz, Julie Herndon, and Berglind María Tómasdóttir, in a program entitled Pareidolia Memories: Imagined faces in noises of sounds remembered. This collection of works and improvisations shared between the three musicians explores memory, recognition, time, places, people, and relationships between humans and non-humans. The works are intertwined with videos and sound interludes by Berglind Tómasdóttir reflecting on the theme in various ways.

The program:
Rachel Beetz — Viskuvinátta for alto flute and voice
Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir — … geym oss í dag for two alto flutes and video
Berglind Tómasdóttir — minni ii: idyll for flute and live electronics (looped flute)
Berglind Tómasdóttir — Paula’s Song: There for flute, electronics and video
Rachel Beetz, Julie Herndon, Berglind Tómasdóttir — Improvisation
Julie Herndon — Personal Devices
Julie Herndon — Electronic Etudes
Rachel Beetz — Pareidolia

Pareidolia Memories w/ Rachel Beetz + Julie Herndon @ Rhizome in Washington, D.C.

For Boys and Girls / Skerpla

Sunnudagur 26. janúar 2025
15:00-16:00
Norðurljós

MIÐASALA / TICKETS

Efnisskrá tilkynnt síðar / Programme TBA

Flytjendur / Performers:
Skerpla – tónlistarhópur tónlistardeildar Listaháskóla Íslands / IUA’s music ensemble

Frá síðastliðnu hausti hafa meðlimir Skerplu, undir handleiðslu Berglindar Maríu Tómasdóttur, prófessors við tónlistardeild Listaháskóla Íslands, kafað ofan í feril og list nokkurra meðlima hins svokallaða SÚM-hóps, sem starfræktur var hér á landi á árunum 1965-1972. SÚM-hópurinn samanstóð af myndlistarfólki sem deildu ekki endilega sömu sýn á list sína en áttu þó sameiginlegt að vilja víkka mörk listarinnar og leiða inn á nýjar, ókannaðar slóðir. Þrátt fyrir fjölbreyttar nálganir meðlima mátti finna sameiginlegan þráð í sýn þeirra að vilja gera listsköpunina sjálfa að hversdagslegri athöfn sem væri jafn eðlilegur hluti af hversdeginum líkt og hvað annað. Efniviður listarinnar mætti vera úr hugmyndum líkt og hvað annað og að ekki þyrfti forsögu listasögunnar til að njóta þeirra.

Á efnisskrá má finna verk sem meðlimir Skerplu hafa unnið að síðastliðna önn, sem eru innblásin af könnunarferð nemenda um verk meðlima SÚM-hópsins, jafnframt sem flutt verður verk Atla Heimis Sveinssonar, For Boys and Girls (1967) sem Atli tileinkaði meðlimum SÚM.

Skerpla er tónlistarhópur sem starfar innan Listaháskóla Íslands, stofnaður haust 2018. Skerpla rannsakar, skapar og flytur tónlist af tilraunakenndum toga með það að markmiði að víkka út hefðbundnar hugmyndir um tónlist. Berglind María Tómasdóttir, prófessor við Listaháskóla Íslands, og John McCowen, stundakennari við LHÍ leiða starfsemi Skerplu.

…

Since last autumn, members of Skerpla, under the guidance of Berglind María Tómasdóttir, a professor at the Music Department of the Iceland University of the Arts, have delved into the careers and art of several members of the so-called SÚM group, which operated in Iceland from 1965 to 1972. The SÚM group consisted of visual artists who did not necessarily share the same vision for their art but were united in their desire to expand the boundaries of art and venture into new, uncharted territories. Despite the diverse approaches of its members, a common thread could be found in their vision of making the act of creation itself a daily occurrence, as natural a part of everyday life as anything else. The materials of their art could be derived from ideas, just like anything else, and there would be no need for the history of art to enjoy them.

The program will feature works that Skerpla members have been working on in the past semester, inspired by the students' exploration of the works of SÚM group members. Additionally, Atli Heimir Sveinsson's piece *For Boys and Girls* (1967), dedicated to the members of SÚM, will also be performed.

Founded in 2018, Skerpla is Iceland University of the Arts' Experimental Music Ensemble. Skerpla explores, creates and performs music in the expanded field. Skerpla is led by Berglind María Tómasdóttir, professor at Iceland University of the Arts and John McCowen part-time teacher at Iceland University of the Arts.

Source:: https://skerpla.lhi.is/

MÍT / Menntaskóli í Tónlist á Myrkum, Kaldalóni, Hörpu.

CD-Players - a piece by me performed by students from MÍT.

Ventus

Laugardagur 25. Janúar 2025
13:00-14:00
Tónleikarnir eru um klukkustundarlangir, án hlés.
ÁSMUNDARSAFN við Sigtún, Rvk.

Efnisskrá / Programme:
Berglind María Tómasdóttir & Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson - Ventus (2025)

Flytjendur / Performers:
viibra og Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson, þverflautur og náttúruflautur (rabbarbari og hvönn)

Sumarið 2021 hófu þau Berglind María og Eyjólfur að kanna í sameiningu hljóðheim náttúruflauta smíðaðar úr hvönn og rabbabara, efnivið sem finna má víða í íslenskri náttúru yfir sumartímann. Ventus er afrakstur þessarar könnunar og skírskotar til latneska heitisins yfir vind, sem ekki eingöngu er innblástur að tónheimi verksins, heldur hefur hann átt þátt í að móta efnivið þeirra hljóðfæra sem leikið verður á.

Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson (MMus, MA) er flautuleikari, óperusöngvari, þjóðfræðingur og langspilssmiður. Meðfram söng- og smíðaverkefnum kemur hann reglulega fram með tónlistarhópunum Gadus Morhua og Voces Thules.

Berglind María Tómasdóttir hefur skipað sér í framvarðarsveit íslensks tónlistarfólks með tilraunagleði og forvitni að leiðarljósi. Hún er prófessor við Listaháskóla Íslands og hefur verið afar virk á tónlistarsenunni sem flytjandi og tónskáld, hérlendis og erlendis. Í verkum sínum leitast hún við að kanna ímyndir og erkitýpur sem og tónlist sem félagslegt fyrirbæri. Berglind hefur komið fram víðs vegar um heim, nú síðast í Ástralíu, Japan og Evrópu með Björk sem hluti af flautuseptettnum viibra. Árið 2022 hlaut plata hennar, Ethereality, Íslensku tónlistarverðlaunin í flokki sígildrar og samtímatónlistar. Verk Berglindar hafa meðal annars verið pöntuð og flutt á vegum Flautusamtaka Bandaríkjanna (The National Flute Association), Norrænna músíkdaga, Myrkra músíkdaga, Minnesotaháskóla í Duluth og Listahátíðar í Reykjavík. Berglind stundaði nám í flautuleik við Tónlistarskólann í Reykjavík og Konunglega danska konservatoríið og lauk doktorsprófi í flutningi samtímatónlistar frá Kaliforníuháskóla í San Diego árið 2013.

viibra var stofnaður haustið 2016 að tilstuðlan Bjarkar í tengslum við gerð plötu hennar Utopia. Á árunum 2018 til 2023 ferðaðist viibra með Björk víða um heim með hina margrómuðu sýningu Cornucopia. Meðlimir viibru eru virkir í íslensku tónlistarlífi sem flytjendur, tónskáld og kennarar. 

…

In the summer of 2021, Berglind María and Eyjólfur began jointly exploring the sound world of natural flutes made from angelica and rhubarb, materials that can be found widely in Icelandic nature during the summer months. The piece Ventus, the result of Berglind and Eyjólfur's exploration of the sound and material world of these natural flutes, will be premiered at the Dark Music Days festival. Ventus refers to the Latin term for wind, which not only serves as an inspiration for the work's sonic landscape but has also influenced the materials of the instruments being played.

The concert lasts about an hour, with no intermission.Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson (MMus MA) flautist, opera singer, ethnologist and langspil luthier. Along with his singing and luthier projects, he regularly performs with Gadus Morhua and Voces Thules ensembles.

Berglind María Tómasdóttir is a flutist and a composer living in Reykjavík, Iceland. In her work she frequently explores identities, archetypes and music as a social phenomenon through different mediums. Berglind has worked with composers such as Björk, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, Peter Ablinger and Carolyn Chen, and received commissions from Dark Music Days, the National Flute Association, Sequences Art Festival, Reykjavík Arts Festival and Nordic Music Days to name a few. Her album, Ethereality, won the 2022 Icelandic Music Awards as the album of the year. Berglind Tómasdóttir holds degrees in flute playing from Reykjavik College of Music and the Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and a DMA from University of California, San Diego. Berglind is a professor at Iceland University of the Arts.

viibra 
Founded in 2016 in support of Björk's album Utopia, they are best known for their dynamic role in Björk's highly praised theatrical concert Cornucopia, which viibra performed in from 2018 to 2023. The individual members of viibra are all esteemed performers, composers, and educators working with improvisation and diverse approaches in music making, with active practices within Reykjavík’s vibrant creative scene. Their self-titled first album exemplifies their collective creative prowess and invites friends and collaborators along for the journey.

RíT-málstofa á MMD – Snertifletir SÚM-hópsins og tónlistar
Rannsóknastofa í tónlist (RíT) við Listaháskóla Íslands í samstarfi við Myrka Músíkdaga 2025 standa fyrir málstofu um snertifleti SÚM-hópsins og tilraunatónlistar. Málstofan verður haldin föstudaginn 24. janúar klukkan 10:30-12:00 í Dynjanda, Tónlistardeild LHÍ, Skipholti 31. 

Á málstofunni verða flutt stutt erindi af Þráni Hjálmarssyni, tónskáldi, Adam Buffington, tónlistarfræðingi, ásamt Skerplu (tónlistarhópur LHÍ, undir stjórn Berglindar Maríu Tómasdóttur). 

SÚM-hópurinn starfaði hér á landi á árunum 1965-1972 og samanstóð af ungu listafólki sem deildu ekki endilega sömu sýn á list sína en áttu þó sameiginlegt að vilja víkka mörk listarinnar og leiða inn á nýjar, ókannaðar slóðir. Þrátt fyrir fjölbreyttar nálganir meðlima mátti finna sameiginlegan þráð í sýn þeirra að vilja gera listsköpunina sjálfa að hversdagslegri athöfn sem væri jafn eðlilegur hluti af hversdeginum líkt og hvað annað. Þess má geta að Skerpla hópurinn mun koma fram á Myrkum Músíkdögum og flytja verk innblásin af verkum SÚM-hópsins ásamt verkinu Boys & Girls eftir Atla Heimi Sveinsson, en verkið er tileinkað SÚM-hópnum.

Málstofan verður á ensku. 

Öll velkomin!

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RíT-Seminar on DMD – On The Intersections of SÚM and Music

The Centre for Research in Music (RíT) at the Iceland University of the Arts (IUA), in collaboration with Dark Music Days 2025, is hosting a seminar on the intersection of the SÚM group and experimental music. The seminar will take place on Friday, January 24, at 10:30 (a.m.) - 12:00 in Dynjandi, at the Music Department (IUA), Skipholt 31.

The seminar will feature short presentations by composer Þráinn Hjálmarsson, musicologist Adam Buffington, as well as the IUA music ensemble Skerpla under the direction of Berglind María Tómasdóttir.

The SÚM group was active in Iceland from 1965 to 1972 and consisted of young artists who did not necessarily share the same vision of art, yet they shared a common goal of expanding the boundaries of art and venturing into new, uncharted territory. Despite the diverse approaches among its members, they were united by a desire to integrate art-making into everyday life as a normal, daily activity. Notably, the Skerpla ensemble will perform at Dark Music Days, presenting works inspired by the SÚM group, as well as Boys & Girls by Atli Heimir Sveinsson—written in dedication to the SÚM collective.

The seminar will be held in English. Everyone is welcome!

Further here

viibra fagnar útgáfu fyrstu plötu sinnar, viibra, á vínyl í höfuðstöðvum Marvöðu. Nánar síðar.

Ipsa Dixit, flutt á Óperudögum. Sjá nánar hér.

An installation and performance of a composition by John Cage.

Tuesday 18 June 2024 – University of Glasgow Chapel – Free

For this event, we are pleased to present the first Icelandic version of John Cage’s 1979 composition, Circus On, which originally used Joyce’s Finnegans Wake to transform a book into a musical performance Roaratorio, An Irish Circus On Finnegans Wake. A book is transformed into a performance by re-writing it in its entirety as mesostic poetry–a form invented by Cage similar to acrostic poetry but with stringent rules–recording all of the music, sounds, and places mentioned in the book and adding relevant music. The final combination of all of this is then decided using chance. In this Icelandic version, Skerpla, Experimental Sound Lab from the Iceland University of the Arts, Reykjavik, led by Professor Berglind Tómasdóttir, working with Glasgow University PhD candidate and Cage specialist, Victoria Miguel, have transformed Dagur Hjartarson’s novel, Ljósagangur, a science fiction love story about a mysterious sound that can be heard in the city of Reykjavík, into an installation and hour-long live musical performance. This work is being previewed at the Reykjavik Arts Festival on 11 June before the performers bring it to Glasgow for the first UK performance.

The event at Glasgow is split into two parts.

At 7:30pm there will be a live performance of this new composition, produced by following Cage’s instructions: Niður, an Icelandic Circus on Ljósagangur. This live evening performance is free, but please book your place using Eventbrite.

From 5pm-7pm there will be an installation of sound pieces by Skerpla, Experimental Sound Lab inspired by Niður, an Icelandic Circus on Ljósagangur. While working on Circus On we gathered a lot of recordings that were not included in the final version because Cage’s composition uses chance operations to determine what will make the final cut. The installation has allowed us to make use of this leftover material, which is also inspired by the concept of “the thrum of the dead,” from Dagur Hjartarson’s novel, Ljósagangur. (Niður can be translated as thrum.) This material includes recordings of the sounds and places mentioned in the novel, the sounds of Reykjavík, along with a layer of live music. The installation comprises these recordings as well as live performances that are longer than those included in the composition, which strictly limits the ratio of music to ‘silence.’

Visitors to the chapel are welcome to observe this installation, moving in and around performers, whilst it is running. This part of the event  is not ticketed, but numbers will be monitored for the purposes of safety.

We would like to thank Dagur Hjartarson, Jesper Pederson, Matthew Creasy, John Coyle, Björn Heile, Calum Scott, Kerensa Ballantyne, Fin Pointing, Ivan Sanchez Hervas, Jenny Alexander, Robert Davies, Carolyn Kelly, Joan Keenan, SGSAH, Iceland University of the Arts Research Fund, the Chancellor’s Fund at the University of Glasgow, and Glasgow University Chapel. 

READ FURTHER

Niður, an Icelandic Circus on Ljósagangur, is the installation and live performance of a 1979 composition by John Cage. Originally titled Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake, Cage’s work transformed Joyce’s novel into a musical performance. His score for the piece consists of detailed instructions on how to reconstruct any literary work in this manner. In this first Icelandic version a team of artists and academics will transform Dagur Hjartarson’s novel Ljósagangur into an installation and live musical performance. The work will take place at the Nordic House, in the area where the novel is set. Niður will be performed by Skerpla - Experimental Sound Lab from the Iceland University of the Arts, led by professor Berglind María Tómasdóttir, working with Cage specialist Victoria Miguel and composer/sound engineer Jesper Pedersen.

Contributors: Berglind María Tómasdóttir, Victoria Miguel, Jesper Pedersen, Skerpla Music Group 
Partners: Iceland University of the Arts (music department), Iceland University of the Arts (research fund), Glasgow University

Listahátíð í Reykjavík

Follow a purple werewolf on his quest across the universe to find his long-lost father. It's club kid culture meets classical instrumentation in a contemporary art project composed by Diana Burkot with lyrics and performance by Michael Richardt. POPera’s style references musicals, opera, folk, pop, punk and progressive rock. It features multimedia technologies in a contemporary, visual and expressive art project which blurs the borders between concert and performance art.

Composer: Diana Burkot
Lyrics and Performance: Michael Richardt

Further info

viibra and 1000Fold in Rundetaarn, Cophenhagen.

Works by Niels Lyhne-Lokkegaard, Berglind M. Tómasdóttir, Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir, and 1000fold

More info

viibra performs Bára Gísladóttir’s Ms Ephemeris Abyss in Odense, Danmark, as a part of a concert celebrating the latest recipient of the Sonning Price, Mr. Emmanuel Pahud.

See further info

The Icelandic flute septet viibra celebrates the release of its first album with a concert on Sunday, May 26th, in Norðurljós Harpa, where four of the album‘s pieces will be premièred.

Their self-titled first album, viibra, exemplifies their collective creative prowess and invites friends and collaborators along for the journey. On the album, the septet explores the possibilities of expanded flute playing.

Further info

p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r// d.e.e.p.t.i.m.e@f.r.u.i.t.m.a.r.k.e.t p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r present a programme for Deep Time that explores the fragility of stasis, slowness, and the natural world amid the clamour of clickbait, short attention spans and the Information Age. Between the disparate and the hyperconnected, the timeless and the ever-changing, the audience will be drawn from internal moments to an extroverted and hyperactive present. Through the lens of selected composers whose themes include deep listening, movement, popular culture and ritual, p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r invite the audience to pay attention to the quiet as well as the noise, and experience minute and sometimes frantic changes in their bodies alongside more spacious meditations. The programme opens with a new work, seconds, minutes, hours, eons by composer Sara Glojnarić – commissioned for Deep Time by Fruitmarket and p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r – which contextualises the concept of deep time by making seamless jumps from the Big Bang to Brexit through a hybrid form that combines a concert scenario with scripted reality and musiktheater, to reflect on the history of time through the eyes of a millennial in a post-internet world. Programme Sara Glojnarić seconds, minutes, hours, eons, 2023 (world premiere, commissioned by Fruitmarket) (10 mins) Berglind María Tómasdóttir My Favourite Things, 2023 (UK premiere) (12 mins) Esin Gunduz A Sense of Energy, 2018 (UK premiere) (5 mins) Jenni Hogan Gregor, 2023 (world premiere) (6 mins) Jennifer Walshe EVERYTHING YOU OWN HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A DEPOT SOMEWHERE, 2013 (10 mins) Jessie Marino Jesus fucking Christ Linda, 2020 (12 mins)

minni ii: idyll, premiere of a flute piece by yours truly, composed for Björg Brjánsdóttir, featured in her solo flute recital at Dómkirkjan, Reykjavík.

Tónleikar ásamt Júlíu Mogensen í Hljóðön, tónleikaröð Hafnarborgar.