SinfóAust Secures Stable Funding Through 2029

The East Iceland Symphony Orchestra, known as SinfóAust, will enjoy significantly more stable operations over the next three years. This follows approval of fixed annual grants from both the Icelandic state and the municipalities of Múlaþing and Fjarðabyggð through 2029. SinfóAust has been active since 2018, bringing orchestral music to audiences across the Eastern Quarter with strong public support, but its financial situation has never been easy. Until now, organizers repeatedly had to apply year after year—a process described as extremely time-consuming. In a recent interview with Austurglugginn, board chair Sóley Þrastardóttir noted that annual operating costs have hovered around ten million Icelandic krónur, with full financing never guaranteed beyond contributions from eastern municipalities. In December, Minister of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education Logi Einarsson announced the government would grant SinfóAust five million krónur annually through 2029, the first time such fixed state support has been provided. Now, both Múlaþing and Fjarðabyggð have each committed one million krónur per year for the same period. This reduces the amount the orchestra’s board must raise independently from ten million to just three million krónur annually.