Postcard from Svalbard: Arctic Chamber Music Festival

250222_0082_ILCE-7RM3AEva Grondal

The Arctic Chamber Music Festival takes place in the world’s most northerly town, Longyearbyen. Emma Baker travelled there to sample its unique atmosphere

Svalbard is so far north, so deep within the Arctic Circle, that if you are seeking the best views of the Northern Lights you should – counter-intuitively – look south. This Norwegian archipelago might be a magnet for visiting cruise ships during the 24-hour daylight of summer, but it seems an unlikely venue for a chamber music festival during the dark days of polar winter…

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