The lavish Hallgrimskirkja Christmas Music Festival opens this weekend with a magnificent organ concert, a festive mass on the first Sunday of Advent and the opening of a new arts exhibition in the church narthex.

It is one of Hallgrimskirkja’s organists, Bjorn Steinar Solbergsson, that gives a concert with Bach’s and Guilmant’s beautiful Advent music on Saturday at noon under the title Veni redemptor gentium. The concert is half hour long.

The festive mass on Sunday starts at 11 am. The Bishop of Iceland preaches and the Hallgrimskirkja Motet Choir sings. The mass marks the beginning of the annual Christmas Charity Collection of the National Church of Iceland.

Right after the mass, the exhibition of painter Erla Thorarinsdottir opens. Her exhibition is called Kvenleikar/Genetrix and features the motif of the ancient goddess, her continuation in the Virgin Mary and the birth of the Saviour.

There are a great many exciting events forthcoming in Hallgrimskirkja during the Advent, Christmas and New Year. The beautiful Motet Choir Christmas concerts and Schola Cantorum Advent concerts, German Christmas jazz, fantastic organ concerts and last but not least the popular New Year concert with trumpets, timpani and organ.

Our exciting event calendar can be seen here.