08/10/2026
This is a post about magic.
Ólafur Arnalds brought his sublimely human music to Dublin last weekend. If you’ve been in our shop a little bit, it’s very likely you’ve heard his music. I was so excited to be going to see him.
And then a newsletter landed in my inbox: an opportunity to gather and sing this incredible music. Wow.
So on Friday I joined Gaia Music Collective for a one day choir in Dublin. We came together as strangers from all walks of life, without any prerequisites, to sing a choral arrangement of ‘A Dawning’ by Ólafur Arnalds and the late Eoin French, who made wonderful music as Talos.
Then over the weekend, in smaller groups, we were invited to join Ólafur Arnalds on stage at the National Concert Hall, Dublin to sing together as new friends, as a little part of Ólafur’s show.
Falling Apart Together is pure glorious magic. Musically sublime, humanly earthed, it is creating connection in a whole new way. I feel changed by this.
The wonderful Asher, from Gaia Music Collective, told us that this was for us, we were doing this for ourselves. There was a permission, a generosity, an inclusion within this invitation from him, from Ólafur, that held us together in a truly extraordinary moment of present collective joy.
Each person in our little choir on that Sunday afternoon seemed absolutely held within that joyful connection, completely aware and appreciative of the magic we were experiencing. Before we joined the stage, as I watched the concert from my seat, I could feel the same joyful connection build through everyone in the auditorium.
Ólafur has created a magic in his music and in his way of creating connection that feels exactly what we need as humans right now. We live in a time that often feels chaotic, disconnected and unraveling beyond our understanding, when humans are being annihilated in plain sight, AI threatens, and our climate is changing in real time. We need joy. We need connection. They are not secondary. They are essential to sustain us as humans. When we connect person to person, all together, with a common joyful focus, the shared experience created is truly transformative. (Continued in comments…)
