Nordic Affect - NOSPR

Nordic Affect has been hailed as a “multi-disciplinary force of nature” (A Closer Listen), as a “gem in Iceland’s music life” (Fréttablaðið), and for “ineffable synergy between the performers” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Founded in 2005, Nordic Affect (Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, baroque violin; Marie Stockmarr Becker, baroque viola; Hanna Loftsdóttir, baroque cello; Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, harpsichord) has created a highly unique voice, which has earned the group international recognition. In 2013 the ensemble was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize and was named Performer of the Year at the Iceland Music Awards in 2014. Nordic Affect has brought its music making to festivals such as TRANSIT Festival (BE), Dark Music Days (IS), November Music (NL), Skaņu Mežs (LV), Iceland Airwaves (IS), Ensems Festival (SP), North Atlantic Flux (UK) and Estonian Music Days (EE). Nordic Affect toured the U.S. for the first time in spring 2017 performing at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Reykjavík Festival, National Sawdust in New York, Constellation Chicago, and at Berkeley Art Museum’s Full series. The group embarked on a second US tour in 2020 thanks to a touring grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Furthermore, Nordic Affect has served as Reykjavík‘s Music group and was in 2018-2020 ensemble-in-residence at Dark Music Days.

Starting with its debut album in 2007, Nordic Affect’s recording projects have spanned newly discovered early music to first releases of music written for the ensemble. Nordic Affect's performances can be found on the Bad Taste Records, Musmap, Brilliant Classics, Carrier Records Sono Luminus and now Øra Fonogram labels. In 2015, Nordic Affect's album Clockworking was released by Sono Luminus. Clockworking received various accolades and was featured as Album of the Week on New York Public Radio and KING FM’s Second Inversion. The title track was chosen for NPR's Songs We Love and featured in various best-of-the-year lists, including The Chicago Reader and The New Yorker. In 2017, Nordic Affect released Raindamage, an album resulting from a collaboration between the group and producer Valgeir Sigurðsson. The album was nominated for the Iceland Music Award and Kraumur Prize and was featured in various best-of-the-year lists including The Chicago Reader, 5:4 and AnEarful.  In 2018 Nordic Affect released the album He(a)r on the Sono Luminus label with works by Icelandic and Estonian composers. The album was nominated for the Iceland Music Award and Kraumur Prize and made various best-of-the-year-lists, including the Boston Globe, I Care if You Listen, Yahoo Entertainment and Second Inversion. In 2023 they released the album Rökkur with Norwegian composer-performer Maja S. K. Ratkje. The album received various accolades in the international music press and made Dagens Nyheter’s best-of-the-year-list. Furthermore, they received a nomination as Performers-of-the-Year and Contemporary-Album-of-the-Year at the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemann Prisen).

The ensemble is supported by Reykjavík City and The Icelandic Music Fund.

Artistic director of Nordic Affect since its founding has been Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir

For further visit: www.nordicaffect.com

Concert duration: approximately 60 minutes