Ice Music

Terje Isungset is a pioneer and inventor of ice music. He creates his instruments—harps, drums, percussion, horns, and the iceophone (like a xylophone)—from blocks of harvested natural ice. He’s released 14 solo albums through his independent Norwegian record company and has toured internationally giving concerts with his Ice Quartet. Imagine being a roadie on that gig!

This ice concert, performed in the Arctic, was created in conjunction with Greenpeace to highlight the beauty of our oceans. It’s unlike anything you’ve heard: 

Instruments are crafted out of artic drift ice, sourced from and then returned to the sea. Glacial ice can be a thousand or a hundred thousand years old. Instrument-makers and musicians respect this ancient ice and that it has a sound of its own. 

American Ice sculptor Bill Covitz says ice vibrates the longest at -20 degrees, the best temperature for an ice concert. [See The Sound of Ice: Behind the Scenes Making Ocean Memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEGgHf7G_-A&t=21s]

What can we learn about the collaboration of nature and human creativity from these artists?

Terje speaks of treating nature with respect and gentleness, just like the ice instruments, so it doesn’t break.

Ice cellist Ashild Brunvoll shares how nature has its own language. Ice instruments bring the sound of nature to human language, so people can understand. Nature gives us so much more than we can see.

As we enjoy a new year, some of us skiing on snow or making snow sculptures, we can pay attention to nature and connect in a deeper way. Perhaps we’ll even awaken to the music of ice.

That is living as music.