Kliður is a sort of choir. It’s comprised of an assortment of people – but not always the same ones. Within its mercurial ranks there are musicians, composers, and instrument makers, as well as visual artists, writers, and students – friends who are linked through Reykjavík’s music and art scene in mysterious ways. Each and every one of them adds their voice to the harmony and serves the singing whole.

Kliður currently rehearses in Aðventkirkjan church in downtown Reykjavík under the direction of Snorri Hallgrímsson, but was previously based at experimental music venue Mengi. The choir regularly goes to Skálholt, Iceland for retreats, where it develops new pieces.

The choir’s repertoire is rather diverse, ranging from arrangements of psalms, to folk-influenced songs and neoclassical compositions. The composers are an interesting cross section of the Icelandic music scene. Many of them are regularly commissioned by symphony and chamber orchestras around the world, others score Icelandic and international films or perform regularly at pop, rock, and electronic music festivals.

The choir’s members/composers include: Pétur Ben, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, Ólafur Björn Ólafsson, Elín Elísabet Einarsdóttir, Ragnar Helgi Ólafsson, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Jelena Ćirić, Kjartan Holm, Marteinn Sindri Jónsson, Sigurlaug Thorarensen, and the choir’s conductor Snorri Hallgrímsson.

The choir is really a collective of artists from various disciplines, and in addition to the composers named above, includes the Impostor Poets Ragnheiður Harpa Leifsdóttir, Þóra Hjörleifsdóttir, Fríða Ísberg, and Melkorka Ólafsdóttir; the visual artists Elín Hansdóttir, Áslaug Íris Katrín Friðjónsdóttir, Lilja Birgisdóttir, and Margrét Blöndal; theatre and performance artists Sara Marti and Sigríður Sunna Reynisdóttir, dancers Aðalheiður Halldórsdóttir and Halla Þórðardóttir, film director Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, yoga teacher Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir, and musicians Björn Kristjánsson (Borko) and Tom Manoury, among many others.

The choir’s working methods are based on utilising the varying expertise of the choir’s members: choreographers and yoga teachers often lead physical warm-up and improvisation, for example. Improvisation has, in fact, shaped the choir’s work since it was formed. Rehearsals often begin with free improvisation that hones members’ listening and ensemble skills. New compositions have also been developed through improvisation led by each piece’s composer.

Kliður has performed at various festivals and events, including Iceland Airwaves 2016 (headlining a concert in Aðventkirkjan, with múm, the Kronos Quartet, and Bedroom Community in Harpa Concert Hall); Sigur Rós’ Norður og Niður festival in Harpa in 2017, MixMass festival in Belgium in 2018; and at the Folk Music Festival in Siglufjörður, North Iceland, in 2019. The choir hosted an interdisciplinary one-day takeover in Iðnó in June 2022, under the auspices of the Reykjavík Art Festival. Kliður is working on the publication of the Kliður Songbook.