The 40th anniversary of Reykjavik Art Festival is from  the 14. May -  6. June. This spring the Festival's program includes over 60 events that represent all artforms.  Icelandic artists display new and unexpected dimensions of their art, often in collaboration with artists from abroad. As has always been the festival's hallmark, international superstars and up-and-coming artists, in addition to leading Icelandic artists, will perform at the festival. This year the Festival is also characterized by events that bring together more than one artform and erase the conventional borders that separate them.

 A special celebration of the photograph, called “Reality check”, will be held for the first time in Iceland. This reflects the importance of the photograph in today's culture, in recording reality, in the arts and in all forms of communication. Twenty exhibitions of photography in various galleries, museums and in the streets will be held as well as several events connected to them.  Artists come from all over the world to participate in the festival this year. Among the countries represented are Mali, United States, Finland, Spain, Norway, Scotland, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Morocco, and Lithuania.

Ticket prices are kept very reasonable and admissions will range from one thousand ISK to approximately five thousand ISK. Several events will be free of charge.

The Reykjavik Art Festival opens with a bang with and their band, performing their unique  Afro-Pop fusion in the Laugardalshöll Arena. Among other highlights are the concert of the Norwegian piano soloist Leif Ove Andsnes who will perform with Christian and Tanja Tetzlaff and an operatic feast with Kristinn Sigmundsson who will perform his favourite opera arias with The Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Opera choir.

Icelandic singer/songwriter Megas will perform for the first time at Reykjavik Art Festival this year. He will perform, among other things, new material by his son, the composer Þórður Magnússon, which has been arranged for a string quintet led by Bryndís Halla Gylfadóttir.

Oskaras Korsunovas, one of Europe's most celebrated directors, brings us his magnificent production of Romeo and Juliet, all the way from Lithuania. Theatre lovers can also look forward to the premiere of a new Icelandic play Falling in love with my Kitchen Aid where home appliances play an important part. Brothers by Lára Stefánsdóttir and Ástrós Gunnarsdóttir, an ambitious Icelandic dance piece where all the dancers are male, will also premiere at the Festival this spring.

Audiences can experience a surprising encounter between artists and musicians at twelve concerts held in artists' studios and a cosy and touching atmosphere in readings performed in authors and poets' homes around the city.

The arrival of a foreign symphony orchestra is not an everyday occurrence in Iceland and it is therefore a pleasure to be able to welcome the Vaasa Symphony Orchestra from Finland to the Festival. The Orchestra, along with soloists and musicians from the group Caput, will perform a diverse program that ranges from Sibelius to French chansons. The Spanish/Moroccan band Orquesta Chekara Flamenca is also a guest at the Festival and brings us Andalusian music and dance to stir the blood. The Finnish electric accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen will perform a show that revolutionizes all previously held conceptions about the instrument.

Schubert will be played in three consecutive Sunday morning concerts in Fríkirkjan church, the Carmina Ensemble will stage a concert in Kristkirkja church and Nordic Affect interweaves 18th Century literature and music at The Culture House.

This years Festival brings audiences a unique opportunity to enjoy brand new music and first performances of both Icelandic and foreign works. Among the musicians and groups featured are Adapter with their project LUMEN, Njúton and The Formalist Quartet performing the work Vortex Temporum and Benni Hemm Hemm performing a new, intimate work with a Scottish singer and Blásarasveit Reykjavíkur. Jónas Sen and Ásgerður Júníusdóttir perform music by Björk, among others, in new arrangements and a choice act are Bedroom Community's Whale Watching Tour, who will end their much-acclaimed European tour in the National Theatre. Daniel Bjarnason will also conduct a small orchestra there.

There are two shows for children at the Festival this spring: Mr. Pot and Miss Lid is a musical adventure for children that will be performed at the National Theatre and a Canadian Puppeteer will appear in several outdoor locations in the city centre performing a puppet-show on stilts based on the fairy tale Rapunzel.

Air Iceland offers city-break package deals, so guests living outside the Reykjavik area can also enjoy Reykjavík Art Festival. University of Iceland Continuing Education also offers courses in conjunction with the festival's events.

The full program and further information on all the events can be found at www.listahatid.is

Tickets to all the events at Reykjavík Art Festival are now on sale at www.listahatid.is and www.midi.is

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