Glasgow to host Nordic music festival as it comes to Scotland for first time

Glasgow will host one of the world’s longest-running contemporary classical music festivals later this year as it comes to Scotland for the first time in its 136-year history.

It will be just the third time the Nordic Music Days festival, which was established by the Council of Nordic Composers in 1888, takes place outside the Nordic countries.

The five-day festival, which runs from October 30-November 3, will bring together Scottish and Nordic music and musicians through a “truly innovative” programme that includes performances, installations, screenings and talks in venues across Glasgow.

The 2024 festival, which has the theme “Word of Mouth”, will see Scotland’s major orchestras performing “bold and ambitious new music” from a range of Scottish and Nordic composers, including Anders Hillborg, Sir James MacMillan and Academy Award-winning composer Hildur Guonadottir, whose screen credits include the music to the film Joker and the series Chernobyl.

It will also feature a mass participation event at the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, pop-up events in shops, parks and other venues around the city, and a linked conference on the role and value of experimentation in new music at the University of Glasgow.

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.”

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.”

The decision to bring the event to Scotland was also welcomed by Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

“We are delighted to welcome Nordic Music Days to Scotland for the first time in its 136-year history,” he said.

“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 2024 edition of the festival will be only the third time it has taken place outside the Nordic countries, after it was held in Berlin in 2012 and London in 2017.