Dear guests

Welcome to the Hallgrímskirkja International Organ Summer 2009, a series of concerts hosted by the Friends of the Arts Society in Hallgrímskirkja. Summer organ festivals have been held here since the church’s Klais organ was inaugurated in 1992, making this the 17th festival.

The International Organ Summer and Hallgrímskirkja’s Klais organ have always attracted many outstanding artists – this summer is no exception, with organists from all over the world presenting a wide range of organ music, pieces from their native country as well as famous organ classics.

In this year’s festival we will be focusing on the composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. Mendelssohn was born 1809 in Hamburg, Germany, and this year his 200th anniversary is being celebrated worldwide. Hallgrímskirkja will be doing so by hosting performances of all his major organ compositions in the International Organ Summer 2009.

This summer, from the 28th of June until the 16th of August, there will be a concert every Sunday. Due to the maintenance that Hallgrímskirkja’s belfry is currently undergoing, the Thursday and Saturday noon concerts will be cancelled; however, the Society of Icelandic Organists is hosting noon concerts on Thursdays at 12:15 in the Cathedral (downtown Reykjavík), in collaboration with the International Organ Summer. Furthermore, this summer the Friends of the Arts Society in Hallgrímskirkja presents additional lunchtime concerts where Hallgrímskirkja’s chamber choir Schola cantorum will be performing on Wednesdays at 12 noon in July and August.

We are trying out a new timing for the Sunday concerts, 17:00, and hope this time will be convenient for concertgoers. Another innovation will be the participation of the IOS organists in the Hallgrímskirkja services – they will be playing the postludium at the Sunday services at 11:00.

Dear guests, I hope you will enjoy your visit to Hallgrímskirkja – Iceland’s national shrine, the sound of the Klais organ, and the artists performing the treasures of the world of organ music.

Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, organist of Hallgrímskirkja

Download the brochure for the international organ summer in Hallgrimskirkja here (pdf)

Organ recitals in Hallgrimskirkja on Sundays

All recitals begin at 17:00

28. June:  Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, Hallgrimskirkja
5. July:  Pétur Sakari, Helsinki, Finland
12. July:  Christof Pülsch, Bielefeld, Germany
19. July:  Andreas Sieling, Berlin, Germany
26. July:  Douglas Cleveland, Seattle, USA
2. August:  Eyþór Ingi Jónsson, Church of Akureyri
9. August:  Roger Sayer, Rochester, England
16. August:  Susan Landale, Paris, France

Lunchtime concerts in Reykjavik Cathedral on Thursdays at 12.15

2. July:  Tómas Guðni Eggertsson, organ & Sif Tulinius, violin
9. July:  Jörg Sondermann, organ & Halla Dröfn Jónsdóttir, soprano
16. July:  Douglas Brotchie, organ & Einar Clausen, tenor
23. July:  Guðný Einarsdóttir, organ
30. July:  Marteinn H Friðriksson, organ
6. August:  Steingrímur Þórhallsson, organ & Pamela de Sensi, flute