For centuries, Iceland’s cultural heritage had been firmly rooted in literature, notably in the Icelandic sagas. Music has only had a place since the mid-twentieth century. The foundation of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service and the Reykjavik College of Music, both in 1930, provided the basis for the formation of a professional orchestra, although it was not established until 9 March 1950. Now the Iceland Symphony Orchestra has achieved a high level of performance. It gives approximately sixty concerts each season, including subscription concerts in Reykjavik, and tours both in Iceland and abroad, with visits to the Faeroes, Greenland, Germany, Austria, France, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and North America. Over the years the orchestra has collaborated with many renowned guest artists, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Kempff, Claudio Arrau, André Previn, Daniel Barenboim, Luciano Pavarotti, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Emil Gilels and Mstislav Rostropovich. Principal conductors have included Olav Kielland and Karsten Andersen from Norway, Bohdan Wodiczko from Poland, Jean-Pierre Jacquillat from France, Petri Sakari and Osmo Vänskä from Finland, American conductor Rico Saccani and British conductor Rumon Gamba.