Composed of elite musicians from the northernmost capital in the world, the Reykjavík Orkestra is an ensemble for the modern day.
With its unique fusion of virtuosic performers and fluent embrace of sound design, the orchestra is carving out its own space for contemporary music in the 21st Century.
Based in the award-winning Harpa Hall in the heart of Reykjavík, the orchestra’s performances are captured straight from 3 beautiful spaces to the custom control room with a stunning ocean view overlooking the harbour and the mountain Esja.
Selected Works
Clients include:
We record in 3 sonically stunning halls, suited for different projects:
Eldborg Hall
Well suited for medium to larger-scale ensembles or a full orchestra - known for its warmth provided by its iconic red birch plywood as well as it’s unique built-in reverb chambers.
World-famous, USITT & EU award-winning acoustics.
Configurable reverberation time through electronic plates.
1.008 m² - 19m ceiling height.
Aurora Hall
Perfect for projects of varying sizes, from solo performances to larger-scale ensembles and everything in-between - this hall delivers a gorgeously transparent sound at any size.
“The engineer’s favourite” known for its lush reverb featured on award-winning recordings.
Configurable reverberation time through electronic plates.
540 m² - 8m ceiling height.
Kaldalon Hall
Great for smaller projects such as solo instrument, quartet or small to medium ensembles.
Delivers a beautifully intimate yet natural sound, known for its outstanding reverberation versatility allowing it to blend seamlessly with other elements in the mixing room.
Configurable reverberation time through electronic plates.
198 m² - 8m ceiling height.
Viktor Orri Árnason
conductor / artistic director
Hanns Eisler-educated conductor and arranger Viktor Orri Árnason spearheads our orchestra. Viktor is known for his particular focus on colliding the worlds of classical composition and studio artistry – along with his unique approach to string instruments, which has established him as an exceptional voice in today’s musical landscape.
He has conducted and created arrangements for Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Hauschka and Ólafur Arnalds among many others. His contributions can be heard on multiple movies and TV series, including the multi-award-winning movie Joker.
Bergur Þórisson
lead engineer / technical director
Grammy-nominated recording/mixing engineer Bergur Þórisson oversees all technical aspects of our projects. He is known for his fast workflow, attention to detail and refreshingly creative approach to the art of recording. Bergur is Björk’s musical director and Iceland’s most saught-after engineer. His contributions can be heard on works by Sigur Rós, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Ólafur Arnalds, Damien Rice, Dustin O’Halloran and more.
For the orchestra’s project, Bergur and our technicians can record all 3 halls while monitoring in our 5th floor master control room, where we also offer seamless remote sessions with AudioMovers ListenTo or SourceLive.
He utilises our fantastic microphone cabinet (featuring countless vintage Neumann and DPA/B&K mics), 5.1 monitoring by Amphion Loudspeakers and Horus-based systems by Merging Technologies.