Oscar-winning composer brings Icelandic poetry to Australian stages

Hildur Guðnadóttir’s new music for Australian Chamber Orchestra links Iceland and Australia Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 9:00am It's not every day that an Oscar-winning composer writes new music for an Australian orchestra. But that's exactly what happened with the Australian Chamber Orchestra's latest commission. Hildur Guðnadóttir has composed a new piece for the orchestra, in collaboration with Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and vocal ensemble Trio Mediæval. In 2020, Guðnadóttir made history as one of the few female composers to win an Oscar. Her score for Joker also earned her a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. Her work on the miniseries Chernobyl also won a BAFTA, a Grammy and an Emmy. "It was a bit of a shock that came with such a bang," Guðnadóttir says about her wins. "I didn't grow up dreaming about winning an Oscar one day because that just simply wasn't in any of my horizon." Already an established composer, the awards opened more doors for Guðnadóttir, who currently lives in Berlin. Since 2020, she has released two solo studio albums and four major film soundtracks, among other projects. The land of ice and fire Guðnadóttir grew up in Iceland, the island nation known for its northern lights, volcanoes and ancient Viking sagas. Despite Iceland's well-known storytelling tradition, classical music is relatively new, according to Guðnadóttir. "We don't have a long history of music because music was banned in Iceland for such a long time," she explains, adding "it was banned because of religion." The first concert by a full symphony orchestra in Iceland didn't happen until 1926, when the Hamburg Philharmonic came to its capital city Reykjavík. Storytelling survived through rimur: "a way of reciting poetry or singing in this tremolo, a bit like imitating the sound that sheep make," Guðnadóttir says. "Our weather and our living situation were pretty rough for quite a long time, and we lived in dirt houses up until not so long ago," she continues. "When I was growing up, we had very limited resources: very little access to physical records, and a limited amount of amplifiers and microphones. So, we've kind of been a nation of just making do with what we have." That resourcefulness has shaped Iceland's music scene, transforming rugged landscapes and a long storytelling tradition into everything from chart-topping songs by artists such as Björk to genre-defying experimental music, with Guðnadóttir at its forefront. Writing for an Australian orchestra During their current tour, the Australian Chamber Orchestra premiered Guðnadóttir's new work, Time and the Water. The commission came through her connection with Arve Henriksen, who is touring with the orchestra alongside Trio Mediæval. The music is based on Tíminn og Vatnið (Time and the Water), a poem by modernist Icelandic poet Steinn Steinarr. "Both of my grandmothers used to recite Steinarr's poems to me because they were both big lovers of poetry," Guðnadóttir says. The poem explores separation and connection between lovers through water, an image that resonates deeply with Guðnadóttir. "Living in Berlin, I really miss being close to the sea," she says. For the orchestra, performing a new work by Guðnadóttir is "a real coup," says executive producer Ross McHenry. Guðnadóttir's music is presented as part of a concert program that weaves together ancient Nordic medieval hymns and the atmospheric post‑rock sound of Icelandic band Sigur Rós. McHenry describes the program, crafted for what he calls "the racehorse of the world's great string orchestras", as an exploration of extreme beauty. He draws a connection between the music and the landscapes that inspired it. "There's this thing about these places," he says. "Whether it's Iceland, northern Sweden, or even the central desert here in Australia: they're stark, but they're also incredibly beautiful." What Australia can learn from Iceland Guðnadóttir's historic Oscar win has inspired composers around the world, including Australian screen composer Caitlin Yeo. An award‑winning composer herself, Yeo reflects on the impact of witnessing Guðnadóttir's triumph. "When a woman gets up to pick up one of those gold statues, it's incredibly significant," she says, "given the dire under‑representation of women in the screen industry." "If we can see it, we can be it." The similarities between Iceland and Australia go beyond dramatic landscapes. Both countries are geographically isolated, and both are prone to climates that seem designed to test human endurance. Iceland is also famous for having roads that wouldn't exactly win international awards. But Yeo reflects on how Iceland treasures its artists: "It sounds like it was very precious to make music in the first place, and they look after it like a gem." One of Iceland's initiatives to support musicians is through a monthly artist salary fund. While Australian musicians are making waves internationally, Yeo says support at home can be inconsistent. "At the moment, there's just less work out there, and the film and TV industry particularly is reverting to risk‑averse behaviour," she says, adding this trend has been a global phenomenon. "What that means is that they're less likely to hire a gender‑diverse composer at the end of the day." Guðnadóttir attributes much of her success to Iceland's tight‑knit creative community. "With our limited resources comes a lot of just figuring things out and helping each other out," she says. "There's not really any sense of rivalry and competition. We're all very happy for each other when someone does well." Yeo believes Australia could benefit from a similar approach. "If artists advocate for each other, work together, collaborate, and pool our resources, we could be an absolute powerhouse too," Yeo says. As for Iceland's genre‑defying musical identity, Guðnadóttir offers a simple explanation: "We're just so few, everyone is playing for everybody. So, I think that's why we have this sense of genres not being so important." You can hear the Australian Chamber Orchestra's latest tour around Australia from July 25 to August 9. ABC Classic will broadcast the Sydney concert in September