Kjartan has performed under the pseudonym "The Lonesome Traveller" with Sigur Rós bandmate
Orri Páll Dýrason and
Amiina violinist María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (whom Kjartan married in 2001). "The Lonesome Traveller" covered
Sigur Rós songs acoustically in an
alt-country style. Kjartan also composed scores for the 2005
Academy Award nominated short film
Síðasti bærinn (
The Last Farm) by
Rúnar Rúnarsson, for award-winning director
Ramin Bahrani's 2009 short film
Plastic Bag which features the narration of filmmaker
Werner Herzog, and for the 2009 film
Ondine directed by
Neil Jordan. Kjartan was the composer on Volcano (2011) and Sparrow (2015) both directed by
Rúnar Rúnarsson. Kjartan also contributes to
Sigur Rós's
orchestral and string arrangements, along with the group
Amiina. He is also featured heavily on
The Album Leaf's album,
In a Safe Place, playing a wide variety of instruments. Kjartan is a member of the advisory board for
Kraumur Music Fund, which aims to "strengthen Icelandic musical life, primarily by supporting young musicians in performing and presenting their works." On 16 November 2010 Kjartan Sveinsson performed in The Whitelight Festival, along with Jonsi & Alex and The
Hilliard Ensemble. Kjartan composed Sonnets of his own, as well as the world premiere of his new piece entitled Credo. The performance was streamed live on
NPR's website. On 17 April 2011
Q2 - a listener-supported, New York City-based Internet stream devoted to the music of living composers - along with NPR named Kjartan Sveinsson in a list of "100 Composers Under 40". In a post on Sigur Rós's
Facebook page announcing an "ask me anything" Q&A session with fans via the social news website
Reddit on 24 January 2013, the band referred to themselves as being a "now three-piece band." The band confirmed Kjartan Sveinsson's departure during a
Reddit Q&A session, stating that "...he has left the band. He said he spent half his life in the band and it was time to do something different." On 19 February 2014 Kjartan showcased 'his most ambitious musical work' since leaving the band in the form of a collaborative theatre set-piece with Iceland's acclaimed contemporary artist,
Ragnar Kjartansson. The work, titled
Der Klang Der Offenbarung Des Göttlichen (The Sounds of the Revelation of the Divine) was performed at Berlin’s
Volksbühne theatre, in cooperation with the
Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg and the
Filmchor Berlin. In February 2015, Kjartan Sveinsson again collaborated with Ragnar Kjartansson, being involved in a performance art exhibition at the John Curtin Gallery and the
Fremantle Arts Centre in Perth, Australia. On 14 February 2022, Sigur Rós made a social media post announcing Kjartan was returning to the band. == References ==