Bjork adds fourth livestreamed “Orkestral” show to series

Manny Sanchez

Björk recently announced a series of performances at Harpa Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland on August 9, 15, and 23. Iceland has reopened from the coronavirus pandemic, so people can attend in person, but if you can't make it and still want to watch, the shows will stream live, too, and tickets are on sale now. The first three dates are now sold out for in person attendance (livestream tickets are still for sale), so they've added a fourth and final date, on August 29, 2020.

The four shows are a celebration of the various Icelandic musicians Björk has worked with over the years, including the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the Hamrahlíð Choir, and flute septet Vibra, and each will focus on different albums from throughout her career. Proceeds will go to Kvennaathvarfið, a charity in Iceland that supports women and immigrants of all origins.

Here's a message from Bjork about the shows:

dear friends

i would like to invite you to some concerts

to honour
folks who got hit hardest in the coronavirus
and the black lives matter movement

and to honour how many icelandic musicians i have worked with through the years

i recorded almost all of my albums with local musicians :

homogenic with an icelandic string octet
medulla with schola cantorum ( an icelandic mixed choir )
volta with 10 brass girls i found all over the island and then later they formed wonderbrass
biophilia with langholt´s church girl choir graduale nobili
vulnicura with a 15 piece string ensemble
utopia with 12 female fluteplayers who later formed the flute septet viibra
cornucopia with hamrahlíð´s choir conducted by þorgerður ingólfsdóttir
all these albums where then performed all around the planet with these musicians

together they are over hundred people !!

and we are going to celebrate that we are all healthily exiting quarantine together by playing concerts in harpa music hall for 3 weekends of august

my input into the feminist fight is to brag about that almost all of those arrangements are by me
unfortunately this is something that is almost always ignored when women are arrangers

the concerts will be in the afternoons and will also be streamed live online, where there will be an option to donate to the icelandic women’s shelter – which supports women of all origin in iceland

for those attending in person, after the concert we will be offering food to raise money in support of this charity

the concerts will be “unplugged” or acoustic and performed without beats and electronics
the concerts will be performed with the icelandic symphony orchestra and guests

i feel we are going through extraordinary times
horrifying but also an opportunity to truly change
it is demanded of us that we finally confront all racism
that we learn that lives are more important that profit
and look inside us and finecomb out all our hidden prejudices and privileges

let´s all humbly learn together

transform

humongous love

björk

See the performance schedule below.

Sunday 9th August at 17:00 (1:00 PM ET)
Björk
the Hamrahlíð Choir,
Conductor Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir,
Organ – Bergur Þórisson
Songs from Medulla, Biophilia, Utopia and more

Saturday 15th August at 17:00 (1:00 PM ET)
Björk
Strings from Iceland Symphony Orchestra,
Conductor Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Songs from Post, Vespertine, Dancer in the Dark and more

Sunday 23rd August at 17:00 (1:00 PM ET)
Björk
Brass from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Flute septet Viibra
Harp – Katie Buckley
Piano – Jónas Sen
Songs from Vespertine, Volta, Utopia and more

Saturday 29th August at 17:00 – EXTRA SHOW
Björk
15 piece chamber ensemble from Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Songs from Homogenic, Vulnicura and more.