Kliður og Tu Ha? Tu Bjö!

The choir Kliður and wind quartet Tu Ha? Tu Bjö! join forces at State of the Art 2026. Though seemingly very different, the two groups have more in common than one might expect. Both are four-part ensembles, both improvise, and both perform almost exclusively original music written by their own members.

At this unique concert at the Living Art Museum, their music will merge into one through the interplay of voices and horns. The human voices will open up new dimensions for the wind players, while the winds will support the choir like a pipe organ with a mind of its own. Anyone with an interest in contemporary music, improvisation, poetry and experimentation in general should not miss this intriguing combination!

The concert will take place on October 8 at 20:00 in Nýlistasafnið. Tickets are 4.990 ISK and available at tix.is. Also available are festival passes that provide access to all of the events.

www.stateoftheartfestival.is

Kliður — Choir Directors

– Gyða Valtýsdóttir

– Snorri Hallgrímsson

Tu Ha? Tu Bjö!

– Tumi Torfason: trumpet

– Hannes Arason: trumpet

– Tumi Árnason: tenor saxophone

– Björgvin Ragnar Hjálmarsson: tenor saxophone

About Kliður

Kliður is a choir made up of artists from a wide range of backgrounds who have met weekly for several years to sing together. What sets the choir apart is that it performs exclusively new, original music by composers within the group, often setting texts by writers who are themselves members of the choir.

Kliður currently rehearses at the Seventh-day Adventist Church under the direction of Gyða Valtýsdóttir and Snorri Hallgrímsson, having previously been based at Iðnó and Mengi. The choir also regularly travels to Skálholt for workshops devoted to developing new works.

Its repertoire is remarkably diverse, ranging from settings of hymns and folk-inspired works to neoclassical compositions. The composers themselves represent a fascinating cross-section of Iceland’s current music scene: many are commissioned by symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world, compose music for film both in Iceland and abroad, and regularly appear at pop, rock and electronic music festivals. Free improvisation plays a major role in the choir’s work, serving both as a vocal warm-up and as a source of inspiration for new pieces. Alongside its regular concerts, Kliður has appeared at numerous music festivals and is currently working on the Kliður Songbook.

About Tu Ha? Tu Bjö!

Tu Ha? Tu Bjö! is a research and experimental project by four wind players that has led them down untrodden paths in composition and improvisation — a meeting ground between four distinct composers who are, at the same time, four distinct performers.

The result might be compared to a school of fish: swimming in coordination and unison, yet remaining free and seemingly directionless. It moves through both shallow waters and the depths, from colourful coral reefs all the way down to the dark ocean floor.

This summer, Tu Ha? Tu Bjö! released their album Tu Ha? Tu Bjö! in collaboration with the independent record label Blaðran. They celebrated the release with adventurous concertgoers at Reykjavík Jazz Festival earlier this autumn and will continue the celebrations with a tour around Iceland this winter. The group continues to take on new roles through collaborations with a variety of ensembles, as they do here with the choir Kliður at the State of the Art music festival.

Photosgraphs:

– Antje Taiga : Kliður

– Magnús Andersen : Tu Ha? Tu Bjö!