Norðrið – Iceland to tour Germany monthly!Iceland Music Export (IMX), Iceland Express and Admirals Palast theatre (Berlin) have forged an innovative agreement to tour Icelandic musicians in Germany every month starting in March, 2009.
Working alongside other promoters from Hamburg and Cologne, this partnership aims to help Icelandic musicians harvest opportunities in Germany. The initial tour will pass through the major German cities of Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin, though there are plans to include venues in Frankfurt and Munich soon. The inaugural tour will feature much-hyped blues singer Lay Low and future events will ensure a savvy mix of established musicians and up and coming artists.
IMX MD Anna Hildur Hildibransdóttir, responsible for co-ordinating the partnership, says: “This is a truly exciting project. Germany has been growing as a market for Icelandic music in the past few years. Many Icelandic musicians have found a home in Germany through labels, publishing companies, managers or agents. Because of that we feel it‘s the right time now for IMX to make Germany a focus market and motivate the opportunities we see. This project also offers close collaboration with the people who are organising Iceland as a host country for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2011. Norðrið will be a good warm up and trial period for us: by using these cultural events to boost Iceland’s profile in Germany, we can start preparing for more music events.
Icelander Helgi Björnsson, Director of Admirals Palast, has lived in Berlin for several years. He agrees that Germany offers great opportunities. “There is a lot of interest in Icelandic culture here, not least in terms of music,” he comments. “Many Icelandic artists live in Berlin and it’s an increasingly popular destination for Icelandic students.“
Matthías Imsland, MD at Iceland Express, claims Norðrið to be an interesting experiment in reaching out to younger tourists in Germany and raising the profile of the vibrant Icelandic music scene. “We are hoping that Icelandic artists will increase the interest in visiting Iceland by younger Germans. Berlin has been a very popular destination for us, as it is a fantastically cultural city and affordable in comparison with other European cities. But we want to see more people coming from Berlin to Iceland. Norðrið is a great concept and suits our aims of increasing support for cultural activities. Iceland Express is, for example, one of the biggest supporters of the Reykjavik Arts Festival this year.”
Other supporters of Norðrið initiative include Sagenhaftes Island (who will prepare Iceland to be the host country for the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair), The Icelandic Embassy in Berlin, The Icelandic Foreign Ministry and Visit Reykjavík.
Source: IMX
www.icelandmusic.is
Icelandic Music Club established in Germany
Iceland Music Export (IMX), Iceland Express and the Admiralspalast theater in Berlin established an Icelandic music club in Germany this week with the purpose of helping young Icelandic bands to promote their music in the country.
“Germany is growing as a market for Icelandic music. Many Icelandic musicians have been signed by German record labels or have German agents and booking offices,” said Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir, managing director of IMX, adding, “It is therefore the right time for IMX to direct its attention to Germany.”
The club is organizing a series of concerts in cities across Germany; in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg to begin with. Singer-songwriter Lay Low will be the first to participate in the projects with concerts scheduled in Germany next month.
The club was the idea of Icelandic Express, which donates at least six plane tickets to participants in the project every month.
Other partners include Sagenhaftes Island, which is promoting Icelandic literature in Germany in relation to Iceland being the honorary guest at the 2011 Frankfurt book fair, the Icelandic Embassy in Berlin, Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Reykjavík Marketing Office.
First artist is Lay Low:
Lay Low concerts in Germany
9. March 2009 @ 20:00 Prinzenbar @ Hamburg
10. March 2009 @ 20:00 Admiralspalast Studio @ Berlin
11. March 2009 @ 21:00 Studio 672 @ Cologne
www.myspace.com/baralovisa
Source: Iceland Review
www.icelandreview.com
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