The history

The North Iceland Symphony Orchestra was founded in the Autumn of 1993. The first concert was held on October 24 that year, conducted by Guðmundur Óli Gunnarson who has been the resident conductor ever since.

NISO in its 26th year, has been growing and thriving. To date, over a hundred different programs have been played spanning all genres of music, from classical and baroque to modern music, rock, jazz and pop music. One of NISO´s primary goals has been to build a bridge between the performers and the audience.  Special attention is given to warmly receiving concert guests and discovering new ways of promoting closeness with the audience, for example, by educating them about the piece or work being performed.

NISO is no stranger to expert musical collaborations. Projects in cooperation with the Akureyri Music School have been produced every year since 2006 and since the founding of the orchestra in 1993, exceptional music students have been given the opportunity to play with the orchestra. NISO has had many successful collaborations with the Akureyri Theater Company in many forms, most notably for its work on productions of The Sound of Music and Oliver, to name a few.