Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir on why Iceland loves Organ Music

Lára Bryndís Eggertsdóttir is the organist at Hjallakirka, Kopavogur www.hjallakirkja.is in Iceland and she is passionate about organ music and the power it plays in Icelandic society, in bringing people together. She talks here with composer Linda Buckley and producer Helen Shaw about her work and how music is such a central part of the community through the church choirs in Iceland.  Linda and Helen met her when they joined the community at its Sunday's service where Lara played the organ and tutored the young teenagers on harmony singing. Lara's own three children, including her young daughter Hekla (called after the volcano) joined in and Hekla showed her own organ skills by playing the old organ now stationed in the church's lift. One of Linda Buckley's own Icelandic compositions is called Hekla and was inspired during a residency in 2014 when she was looking out at the volcano. In this episode Lara talks about a project, 'I Heard The Sounds of Their Wings' where she commissioned Icelandic composers to write for the organ and how women composers were a big part of it. www.audiebam.is/home/ And here's a little video showcasing that performance of her collection of new work for the organ in the famous Hallgrímskirkja Church in Iceland. https://youtu.be/-rHUKDszFh4 Find out more about our project on www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com

Om Podcasten

How the genetics of Iceland reveals its Irish motherhood; an exploration of the connections between Iceland and Ireland presented by composer Linda Buckley and produced Helen Shaw at Athena Media. Acclaimed Irish composer Linda Buckley has a personal and professional affinity to Iceland and in this radio series she teams up with documentary maker Helen Shaw to trace the connections between the two places. The Icelandic female line goes directly back to gaelic women, mostly taken as slaves, by Norwegian Vikings who settled the land over a thousand years ago. http://mothersbloodsistersongs.com