Ólafur Arnalds

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Biography

Ólafur Arnalds is one of Iceland’s foremost musicians and composers. His work, both as a recording artist and film composer, have been met with high critical acclaim worldwide and earned him a BAFTA award win for Best Original Music and nominations for both Grammy and Emmy Awards.

Over the course of his career as a recording artist he has released five full length albums along with dozens of EPs, collaborations and various projects — including two films, Island Songs (2017) and When We Are Born (2021). Ólafur's live shows are often quite unorthodox for a neo-classical composer and have sold out many of the most prestigious live venues in the world, including The Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera Hall, Elbphilharmonie, and The Warfield. His latest album, some kind of peace (2020), earned him two Grammy nominations, charted in the UK’s Top 40 and was named album of the year by NPR’s Bob Boilen.

In 2023, Ólafur Arnalds announced the launch of OPIA Community, a new multidisciplinary initiative focused on strengthening the scene where modern classical music meets electronic music. Born out of Ólafur's desire to create an environment that encourages experimentation and collaboration, OPIA was originally launched in 2019 as a one-day festival. The first edition was a sold-out takeover at the Southbank Centre in London. This was followed in 2023 by the rebirth of OPIA as a three-part venture: A traveling festival, a record label and a hub for collaborative projects. This was followed by a sold-out launch event at Berlin's Silent Green in October 2023. Since 2024, Decca Records has acted as the exclusive partner and distributor for the label wing of OPIA, while Wise Music handles the publishing side for OPIA label artists. This was followed by a second edition of the OPIA Festival in Utrecht's Tivoli-Vredenburg.

Awards:
BAFTA awards (2014), Best Original Music, for Broadchurch
Television Bulldog Awards (2014), Best Music, for Broadchurch
The Edda Icelandic Film Awards (2015), Best music, for Vonarstræti
Icelandic Music Award (2021), Best Film and TV Score, for Defending Jacob

Notable Nominations:
Emmy Awards (2020), Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music, for Defending Jacob
Grammy Awards (2022), Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, for The Bottom Line
Grammy Awards (2022), Best Dance/Electronic Recording, for Loom
Grammy Awards (2024), Best New Age, ambient or Chant album)

News

  • Wise Music Group goes Reeperbahn Festival 2024

    Wise Music Group goes Reeperbahn Festival 2024

    10th September 2024

    One week to go until the Reeperbahn Festival 2024 in Hamburg (Germany! This year, we are especially excited for our Wise Music acts PRISMA, Sofi Paez, and Kiasmos, as well as a panel on sync licensing featuring our own Lena Obara. Here's a brief overview:

  • New album "II" by Kiasmos is out now

    New album "II" by Kiasmos is out now

    5th July 2024

    Production partnership Kiasmos released their new album "II" on July 5th. The duo is comprised of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen.

  • Kiasmos return with new EP + live dates

    Kiasmos return with new EP + live dates

    9th April 2024

    Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen aka Kiasmos return with their first new music since 2017, dropping a three-track EP entitled ‘Flown’ today via Erased Tapes. Alongside the EP, they announce live dates throughout the summer.

  • Ólafur Arnalds announces partnership with Decca Records & Wise Music around OPIA Community Project

    Ólafur Arnalds announces partnership with Decca Records & Wise Music around OPIA Community Project

    12th January 2024

    Acclaimed Grammy-nominated artist Ólafur Arnalds has announced his partnership between his venture OPIA Community with Decca Records and Wise Music Group for a travelling festival and record label.

  • 2024 Wise Music Group Grammy Nominations

    2024 Wise Music Group Grammy Nominations

    13th November 2023

    The nominations for all 94 Grammy Awards categories have been announced - including Ólafur Arnalds!