Iceland Symphony Orchestra

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has grown from its founding in 1950 into a world-class ensemble. It began as a joint project of state and municipal governments and the Icelandic broadcasting company. It had only one regular chief conductor, Olav Kielland (1952-1955), between its founding and 1973 when Karsten Andersen became chief conductor. Conductors since then have included Petri Sakari (1988-1993 and 1996-1998), Rumon Gamba (2002-2010), and Eva Ollikainen (2020-). The ISO gives most of its performances in Reykjavik's Harpa Concert Hall. It has made three notable recording series: a cycle of Sibelius symphonies, a cycle of Jón Leifs' works with orchestra, and a cycle of d'Indy's orchestral music. ~ Patsy Morita