The event is organized in collaboration with Hallgrímskirkja Friends of the Arts Society

Master’s students of composition at the Iceland Academy of Arts and the Liszt Academy in Budapest come together in a masterclass in the programming of the Klais organ in Hallgrímskirkja from January 23 - 27. Instructors are Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson and Sveinn Ingi Reynisson. Work results from the masterclass will be audible in Hallgrímskirkja on Friday January 27 at 4 pm.

The concert organ in Hallgrímskirkja, which was constructed in the organ studio of Johannes Klais in Bonn in Germany, is the largest instrument in Iceland. It was inaugurated on December 13 in 1992. Its size, exquisite design and quality of sound together with acoustic qualities and beauty of the interior of Hallgrímskirkja, has made the organ sought after worldwide.

The organ has four manuals and a pedal, 72 stops and 5275 pipes. It is 15 m high and weighs 25 tonnes. The largest pipes are 10 m long. In 2012 the organ was cleaned and restored, and the computer system updated. Now the organ has the newest standard of MIDI – which offers the possibilities to play it with computers and other external devices.