Nordic Affect Information

Nordic Affect is a period instrument chamber group, which provides a platform for musicians who seek to view familiar musical forms from a different perspective as well as venturing into new terrain. The group performs music from the 17th and 18th centuries and also promotes the performance of contemporary music on period instruments. Nordic Affect takes it name from the Baroque practice of trying to communicate certain affects and to inspire different emotional states through the composition and performance of music. Each of the musicians in the group is a specialist in historical performance having studied both in Europe and the USA. Members of Nordic Affect perform as soloist and chamber musicians throughout Europe as well as being active orchestral musicians with various well-known period instrument ensembles. Since its debut in 2005 at the Skálholt Summer Concerts the group has performed widely in Iceland and on the Continent in addition to launching their own chamber music concert series in Reykjavík. Their performances have been received with great critical acclaim and the group has been praised for their energetic and stylistic bravura. Nordic Affect has performed for the Icelandic Broadcasting Service and the European Broadcasting Service. Nordic Affect's first CD, a recording of a new piece Apocrypha written specifically for Nordic Affect by Hugi Gudmundsson was released in October 2008. The CD received The Kraumur Award in 2008 as well as a nomination for an Iceland Music Award. A collaboration with the Carmina chamber choir under the direction of Árni Heimir Ingólfsson resulted in a recording with Icelandic early music which received an Icelandic Music Award in 2011. Their latest recording, a CD with works by Carl Friedrich Abel was released by Brilliant Classics at the beginning of this year. he artistic director of Nordic Affect since its foundation has been Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir. Share this: