Melting Melodies: Ice Instruments at Finse’s Chill Music Fest
Picture this: a frosty Norwegian village where the air feels like a slice of cryogenic ice. On February 5, 2018, a giant igloo in Finse became the backdrop for a mind‑blowing show that’s literally melting the beat.
The Cold‑Hard Crew
- Terje Isungset – the percussion wizard and festival founder, juggling a horn carved from pure, frozen lake ice.
- Vocals galore: an angelic singer who keeps her voice hot by wrapping a scarf around her whispering mouth.
- The bassista, cold‑hearted but willing to drop his thick gloves just to tug on strings made from transparent ice.
Ice‑Sculpted Instruments
The xylophone, claves, and wind pieces were painstakingly chiseled from frozen lake blocks. Think of it as a musical sculpture that actually melts as the notes fly.
Every gust of sound essentially burns the instruments: the fun, frantic tempo means the keys and pipes start to crack and glide away to the snow floor. The longer the jam, the more the gear dissolves.
Why This Is A Winning Compromise
It’s a technical ballet – playing while the gear secretly retreats, giving a hauntingly twinkly vibe that’s as cool as it feels cold.
With thick wool gloves, Terje blows warm breath onto his icy horn under a swirling blend of blue and turquoise LEDs, turning the raw chill into a glowing stage.
Artistically Speaking
What’s the label? Maybe ‘Art and Madness’—the perfect dance between beauty and the inevitable thaw.
When Winter Turns Into a Music Playground
Picture this: a sprawling field 195 km west of Oslo, where the air is so cold you could see your breath, becomes an ice‑only festival.
The Chill‑tastic Setting
Between February 2 and 3, a sprawling igloo made entirely of ice contains dozens of brave souls—clad in gear that could survive a mountaintop blizzard—sitting on snowy benches, cheering and huddling together like a bunch of polar bears on a hot summer day.
— The Sound of Wind‑Tuned Brilliance
As night deepens, a band member blows a long, icy wind instrument that looks like a moody Australian didgeridoo, sending resonant vibrations across the frozen venue.
Interview with Emile Holba
- “It’s a fine line between art and madness,” he giggles to AFP.
- “Things can go wrong, instruments can break…but the crowd loves the pure, unfiltered vibe,” he adds.
Why the Move to Finse?
Previously hosted in Geilo—now a ski resort that’s getting warmer—organisers struggled to keep the ice solid and the instruments from melting. “Last winter the ice was really slushy,” said Isungset, noting that this was “the first time I’ve seen ice like this.”
Seeking guaranteed chill, the festival shifted a full 30 minutes farther west to Finse, a mountain village surrounded by a glacier that once served as the backdrop for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back‘s “Hoth” opening scene. It’s also a historic training ground for explorers like Ernest Shackleton and Fridtjof Nansen.
There’s No Mystery to the Magic
“It’s kind of otherworldly… there’s a whole lot of magic here,” says Holba.
Building the Frozen Stage
Assembling the igloo took a week and required a hefty crew of over 20 people.
Ice was hauled from a nearby lake, then sliced into large blocks. Musicians turned up their chisel and chainsaw, crafting instruments out of the pristine white material.
“It’s just music, and we’re trying to create something from almost nothing,” said Isungset.
After the Show
Once the festival ends, some instruments dissolve back into the earth as dripping ice. However, the few surviving creations can be salvaged and stored in a freezer—waiting in icy stasis for another performance next year.
At the end of the day, the all‑ice spectacle leaves everyone breathless and a little beat—literally—out of their throats, proving that when you combine winter weather and music, you get a festival that’s chillingly amazing.
