One of the world’s oldest music festivals will be coming to Glasgow later this year for the first time in its 136-year history.

Our city will play host to the Nordic Music Days festival, a contemporary classical music festival established by the Council of Nordic Composers in 1888, from October 30 to November 3, 2024.

This marks the third time the festival will take place outside the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands) after it was held in Berlin in 2012 and London in 2017.

The five-day festival will bring together Scottish and Nordic music and musicians through a “truly innovative” programme that includes performances, installations, screenings and talks.

The 2024 festival, which has the theme “Word of Mouth”, will see Scotland’s major orchestras performing “bold and ambitious new music” from a range of Scottish and Nordic composers, including Anders Hillborg, Sir James MacMillan and Academy Award-winning composer Hildur Guonadottir, whose screen credits include the music to the film Joker and the series Chernobyl.

It will also feature a mass participation event at the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, pop-up events in shops, parks and other venues around the city, and a linked conference on the role and value of experimentation in new music at the University of Glasgow.

Martin Jonsson Tibblin, chair of the Council of Nordic Composers and the Swedish Society of Composers said: “Nordic Music Days has been an unmissable event for over a century. It’s a chance for composers from across the region to gather together, hear each other’s music, discuss trends and ideas, and to share and develop cultural and artistic experiences.

“There’s a strong affinity to Scottish music and culture in the Nordics, so the Council of Nordic Composers is looking forward to seeing the opportunities that open up for composers, performers, organisations, and audiences as a result of this exciting new partnership.”

Emma Campbell, music officer at Creative Scotland, said: “Scotland’s music is distinguished by an adventurous spirit that’s ready to share with the rest of the world. We are delighted that our own Unesco City of Music will host a festival that seeks out old, new and surprising points of connection between Scotland and our like-minded neighbours in the Nordic regions.

“Thanks to the collaborative vision of the Nordic Council of Composers, the RSNO and the festival organisers, audiences can look forward to celebrating bold and ambitious new music that will build a lasting legacy between our countries.”

The decision to bring the event to Scotland was also welcomed by Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

“We are delighted to welcome Nordic Music Days to Scotland for the first time in its 136-year history,” he said.

“The five-day programme is truly innovative and a celebration of contemporary music from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland.”