Skúli Sverrisson, composer and bass guitarist, has long ago established himself as one of Iceland’s leading musicians in the fields of jazz, improvisation and experimental music. He lived in New York for many years, where he worked with artists including Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Allan Holdsworth, Blonde Redhead, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Skúli began his career as a base player with legendary Icelandic bands such as Pax Vobis and Guðmundur Ingólfsson’s band, and has also made a name for himself as a composer with a distinctive musical voice. He has enjoyed fruitful collaborations with prominent figures in the jazz world, most notably through acclaimed albums with guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson.

Skúli has also composed music for film and theatre, produced and directed recording sessions, appeared on hundreds of recordings, and worked in many other capacities within the music industry. He is one of the founders of Mengi and has served as its artistic director since its inception.

Skúli celebrates a milestone birthday in October, and to mark the occasion, he will be honoured at the opening concert of State of the Art. Festival organisers Magnús Jóhann, Bergur Þórisson and Bjarni Frímann will take to the stage to perform a selection of music from Skúli’s career, together with the composer himself on bass. Singer Ólöf Arnalds will also join them.

There is plenty to draw from in Skúli’s remarkable body of work, and who knows — perhaps he will shed new light on some of his own compositions along the way.

The concert takes place on 6 October at 8 pm at Fantasía on Austurstræti.

Tickets are available at Tix.is, and festival passes for State of the Art are also available, granting access to all concerts at the festival.

For the full festival programme, visit www.stateoftheartfestival.is