Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir - strengur (2022)

strengur is a set of five groups of three pieces, each group created in deep collaboration with a long-term creative partner. For the project, I asked each collaborator if they were willing to explore modulating the traditional roles of performer and composer, by performing a score created by my gut strings—the very same technology they had to consider as they in parallel composed a separate set of written solo works for me. Much to my gratitude they graciously accepted the invite, and the journey began. As often with long creative processes, the project took unexpected twists and turns and so, what started off as a wish to collaborate differently, ended up as a deep and personal journey mediated by these longstanding creative relationships.

Performer, composer, curator Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir is one of Iceland’s leading figures within the contemporary music scene. She has been the artistic director of Nordic Affect since its inception in 2005. Halla Steinunn’s work has been a tour de force when it comes to work with composers, visual artists, and producers. She is driven by an ecosystemic outlook on creation, set to further explore its world making possibilities through music's many mediated relationships.