About Harpa
Harpa is one of Reykjavík’s most striking landmarks and a centre of cultural and social life in the very heart of the city. Harpa is a tourist destination and an award-winning work of art that has been visited by millions of people since opening in 2011.
Despite young age, Harpa has already received numerous awards, both for its architecture and as a concert and conference centre. These include the highly respected Mies van der Rohe -European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Award, which Harpa won in 2013. Harpa was chosen as one of the best concert houses of the new millenium by Gramophone Magazine 2010 and rewarded as the Best Conference Centre in Europe by Business Destination magazine in 2016. Most recently Eldborg was an unbeatable choice by the jury for the USITT Architecture Award for acoustic, living up to its role as a world-class concert hall, with state-of-the-art acoustic technology.
Harpa is home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera and Reykjavík Big Band, which hold regular concerts throughout the year. Múlinn Jazz club also resides in Harpa as well as the Classical Sundays Series, both offering concerts on a regular basis.
Numerous music festivals have been held in Harpa since the house opened in 2011 and world-famous bands, soloists, dance groups and theatre companies have performed here. Harpa annually presents Upptaktinn, the children’s music awards, and the musical mouse Maximus Musikus is often seen strolling around the house, welcoming Harpa’s youngest guests.
