Ice Music Festival

Terje Isungset, a Norwegian percussionist, began making instruments from ice in 1999, and the festival that grew from it stages concerts on horns, harps, percussion and stringed instruments carved from natural ice, played outdoors or in ice structures around the full moon in the coldest part of winter. The sound is unlike anything a wooden or metal instrument makes, softer and less sustained, and it changes through a performance as the ice warms in contact with hands and breath; instruments are made fresh for each event and melt afterward. The festival has been held mainly at Geilo, a mountain resort on the Bergen railway, and has travelled to other venues. Audiences are given warm clothing and stand or sit in the cold.

What you actually see

• The ice instruments - horns, harps and percussion carved from natural ice.
• The outdoor concerts - performances in cold air, often under a full moon.
• The instrument making - carving demonstrations before performances.
• The melting - instruments changing tone and eventually failing during play.

When to go

January and February, when temperatures are reliably low enough; dates are set around the full moon and announced in advance. Warm weather can force changes, since the instruments require real cold.

Honest expectations

Concerts take place in temperatures well below freezing, and standing still in that cold for an hour is demanding despite the loaned clothing. Tickets are limited. A mild winter can disrupt the programme.

Nearby

Geilo's ski slopes and Hallingskarvet National Park are close; the Bergen Railway stops in the village.