State of the Art, one of Iceland's most mischievous music festivals, returns for its third edition from October 6–11 at venues across the Reykjavík capital area. The festival sets out to shake up the traditional concert format, placing artists and audiences in unexpected contexts.

The festival is run by Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason, Bergur Þórisson and Magnús Jóhann Ragnarsson, all among Iceland's leading musicians, together with Sverrir Páll Sverrisson, a seasoned event producer and project manager who has been behind some of the most original happenings seen in Iceland. Together they have built a platform where imagination and experimentation run free.

Has the ever-youthful Skúli Sverrisson really turned sixty? What happens when the choir Kliður and the brass quartet Tu Ha? Tu Bjö! join forces? Can you dance a football match at Ölver? How much Bach, and how much bass, can you fit into Austurbæjarbíó? And what do eight power drills and two cement mixers have to offer a chamber ensemble? All these questions will be answered at the festival.

Festival passes and single tickets are available at tix.is, and the full programme can be found at stateoftheartfestival.is.

BIT20 and Baroque at the Club

Among this year's highlights are a concert by the Norwegian ensemble BIT20 at Salurinn and the return of Baroque at the Club at Austurbæjarbíó.

Salurinn – October 11, 17.00 

BIT20 is quite possibly the naughtiest child in Nordic contemporary music. The ensemble was founded in Bergen in 1989 to stir up excitement for new music, and has since commissioned and premiered countless works by world-famous and unknown composers alike. Bjarni Frímann, born the same year as the ensemble, was recently appointed its artistic director. Since he took the helm, BIT20 has filled hall after hall and earned full marks from critics.

The programme spans Nordic contemporary music in every colour of the rainbow: a punk premiere, an Icelandic detour, Iceland's own Atli Heimir, and a piece the ensemble commissioned itself and has made immortal.

Austurbæjarbíó – October 10 at 21.00

Meanwhile, Baroque at the Club returns bigger than ever. It has been one of the festival's most popular events since the very first edition, and last time many were left outside. This year it moves from the nightclub AUTO to Austurbæjarbíó, with more lights, heavier bass, a bigger band and more Bach. Strings and harpsichord share the stage with a master of drum machines and electronics who leads Vivaldi and Bach into the 21st century. 

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