Nordic Music Days Comes to Glasgow in October

One of the world's longest running festivals for contemporary classical music, established in 1888 by the NKR (Council of Nordic Composers), Nordic Music Days will take place outwith the Nordic countries for only the third time in 136 years.

This revered music festival presents Nordic, and this year Scottish, contemporary music and sound and is curated by composers and creators. The 2024 curator team includes: Tróndur Bogason (Faroe Islands), Lauri Supponen (Finland), Guoste Tamulynaite (Norway), Gillian Moore (Scotland) and Pippa Murphy (Scotland).

This autumn Nordic Music Days comes to Scotland for the first time, to Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music, where it hosts and presents music and musicians from Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland – and Scotland.

Opening on 30 October (until 3 November) the festival sees events happen across the city. Filled with innovation and curiosity, infiltrating public spaces and popping up in a variety of cultural spaces in the city, a vast number of concerts, sound installations, talks, screenings and participatory events celebrate musical and cultural resonances between these northern countries.

The theme running through the festival is Word of Mouth. It invokes something personal, informal and close: the passing on, movement and the spreading of ideas, stories, knowledge and traditions.

As well as the strength and variety of the artistic programme, the festival is an enormous coming together of the contemporary music industry in all these countries, with partnership and exchange being key to its legacy including a focus on sustainable practice and social responsibility.

The Festival is an initiative of the NKR (Council of Nordic Composers) which works in collaboration with the lead partner in Scotland, Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

The Festival brings together a Who’s Who of music across these countries. From Scotland’s vibrant and diverse music scene participants include Sound Festival, Drake Music Scotland, Hebrides Ensemble, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Music Centre, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and staff and students from the University of Glasgow. The incredible network of the Council of Nordic Composers comprising composer societies of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden represents 1500 composers and sound artists across the Nordic countries. The Nordic partners include Art Music Denmark Faroe Music Export, Iceland Music, Music Finland, Music Norway, Nordic Film Music Days, Nordic Theatre Laboratory, Northern Connection, Nuuk Nordic Festival, STATUS and Young Nordic Music.

Alongside this huge coming together in the music sector, are partners in wider cultural, education and communities. Helping to bring depth and breadth to the project, these partners include Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow Life/UNESCO City of Music, Centre for Contemporary Arts and the University of Glasgow which hosts a conference concurrent with the festival, focused on the role and value of experimentation in new music.

Today Nordic Music Days announces the first information on the concerts and collaborations confirmed for the festival (30 October – 3 November), with further information to follow in September.

Martin Jonsson Tibblin, Chair of the Council of Nordic Composers and the Swedish Society of Composers said: “Nordic Music Days has been an unmissable event for over a century. It’s a chance for composers from across the region to gather together, hear each other’s music, discuss trends and ideas, and to share and develop cultural and artistic experiences. There’s a strong affinity to Scottish music and culture in the Nordics, so the Council of Nordic Composers is looking forward to seeing the opportunities that open up for composers, performers, organisations, and audiences as a result of this exciting new partnership, which I believe will last long after the festival.”

Alistair Mackie, CEO of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra said: “The truly remarkable thing about this project, which has been supported here in Scotland for this special edition by Creative Scotland, is the number of partner organisations who are working together, pooling resources and facilitating each other’s performances in order to share a common artistic goal and conversation. So many are contributing to the project and looking towards future collaborations and partnerships throughout the Nordic region.”

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “We are delighted to welcome Nordic Music Days to Scotland for the first time in its 136-year history. The five-day programme is truly innovative and a celebration of contemporary music from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland.

“The festival brings together artists from these countries in venues all across Glasgow to showcase the exceptional diversity of music that is being created and performed. We are looking forward to giving a very warm welcome to all those performing at, and attending, Nordic Music Days in Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music.”

Emma Campbell, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Scotland’s music is distinguished by an adventurous spirit that’s ready to share with the rest of the world. We are delighted that our own UNESCO City of Music will host a festival that seeks out old, new and surprising points of connection between Scotland and our like-minded neighbours in the Nordic regions. Thanks to the collaborative vision of the Nordic Council of Composers, the RSNO and the festival organisers, audiences can look forward to celebrating bold and ambitious new music that will build a lasting legacy between our countries.”

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