ÆTLA
Biography ÆTLA
ÆTLA
The name comes from Icelandic and Faroese and means to want or to strive for something. And that is exactly what we do – we strive. To make music that means something. Music that comes from a place where we have something in our hearts – as people and as artists.
Our common foundation is classical singing, but as a collective we also have experience with composition, performance, lyrics, movement and visual art. We bring this to our work – especially in the rehearsal room, where we together explore, play and discover new ways of using the voice and body.
We work seriously with the unpredictable and take play seriously. We give space to take chances and follow what feels exciting, odd or surprising – without fear of failure. Curiosity and desire are our driving forces. We believe that the most interesting things arise when we listen to ourselves and to each other.
We see diversity as a strength – both humanly and artistically. Therefore, we want to create a space where all voices have a place, and where we meet each other with respect, trust and openness. We believe that it is precisely in this shared space that music can take on new and unexpected forms.
We strive to create concert experiences that move – and to open up classical vocal music through new perspectives and collaborations. Even when we don’t quite know where we are going.
Adrianna Kubica-Cypek
has established herself as a distinctive voice in both Danish and international contemporary music.
In 2022, when the Danish National Symphony Orchestra premiered her first orchestral work, she was hailed by a critic as the greatest hope for the future heard in a Danish concert hall for a long time. Since then, her music has been performed by ensembles such as the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, and the SWR Vokalensemble, and has been heard in renowned venues including Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.
In 2025, she received the prestigious Carl Prize as Classical Composer of the Year – Large Ensemble for the work Printemps, written for the Danish National Vocal Ensemble. The jury highlighted the work’s sensuous sound world and its ability to create an almost physical experience of spring’s light and vitality.
Kubica-Cypek often works from a foundation of synesthetic impressions and a close connection between sound, space, and body. With a particular affinity for vocal music, she explores organic sonorities and structures through techniques such as controlled aleatoricism and repetition.
She was born in 1996 in Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland, and educated at the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice, the CNSMD in Lyon, and the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where she is currently affiliated with the soloist program. She lives in Denmark and is a guest teacher at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory. Since 2022 she has been a board member of UNM (Ung Nordisk Musik) Denmark, and this year she will be one of the producers of the 80. Anniversary UNM Festival in Copenhagen.
As Adrianna Kubica-Cypek turns 30, she stands as one of the most promising names of her generation – at the heart of an exceptionally active period and with an international career developing rapidly.
In March, her music can be heard at several concerts during the Pulsar Festival at The Royal Danish Music Academy in Copenhagen, and her current commissions include a new work for small orchestra for the Warsaw Autumn Festival and a work for the Polish Female Composers’ Music Festival and L’Amitie Foundation.
On April 10, a new EP featuring her work Månen, recorded by the vocal ensemble ÆTLA and released on Dacapo Records, will be issued.
