New exhibition traces Icelandic music history at Harpa

Hildur Björnsdóttir, mayor of Reykjavík, formally opened The World of Icelandic Music at Harpa on Tuesday, mbl.is reports. The exhibition takes visitors through the history and development of Icelandic music, highlighting the influence of nature, history and social change on the country’s music and culture from settlement to the present day.

Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir, chief executive of Harpa, and Þorsteinn Jóhannesson, one of the exhibition’s owners and its board chairman, also addressed guests at the opening. Saxophonists Úlfur Eldjárn and Eiríkur Stephensen performed two songs as the duo Sachsi and Saxi.

Úlfur Eldjárn also performed an original composition created for the exhibition’s soundscape. The exhibition was formally opened on Reykjavík’s 240th anniversary.

In her address, Björnsdóttir said the exhibition created an important opportunity to present the history of Icelandic music to both Icelandic and foreign visitors. She said it supported Reykjavík’s work in recent years to strengthen its position as a music city and promote Icelandic musical heritage internationally.

She also described Harpa as a particularly suitable location for the exhibition. A 10 year agreement for the exhibition to remain there, she said, reflected the ambition and long term vision behind the project.

The idea for the exhibition emerged more than a decade ago, when Þorsteinn Jóhannesson, Axel Hallkell Jóhannesson, Jón Hrólfur Sigurjónsson and Bjarki Sveinbjörnsson began developing a presentation on the history of Icelandic music intended for Harpa. The project advanced considerably in 2017 but did not come to fruition at the time.

Þorsteinn Jóhannesson and Axel Hallkell resumed development in 2024. Ingvi Jökull Logason and Hildur Harðardóttir joined the founding team in 2025, with Harðardóttir also serving as chief executive of The World of Icelandic Music. Other shareholders are Magnús Jóhannesson and Sumarliði Dagbjartur Gústafsson.

The exhibition aims to share knowledge of Icelandic musical heritage, encourage interest in Icelandic music and musicians, and show how nature, historical events and social change have shaped the country’s music and culture.

Þorsteinn Jóhannesson said the goal was for visitors to leave better informed about and more interested in Icelandic music. He said the exhibition had been open on a trial basis for several days, with strong responses from both domestic and foreign visitors.