The ensemble for this year's Beethoven and Banjos Festival, which will have performances at three different locations this weekend. Clockwise from upper left are Laurel Premo, Evan Premo, Halldór Smárason and Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir. (Submitted photo)

The Beethoven and Banjos Festival, the annual cross-genre celebration of classical and folk traditions, returns this week with a program inspired by the sounds and landscapes of Iceland.

Now in its 11th season, the festival continues its mission of weaving together music, place and community in uniquely Northwoods ways.

This year’s ensemble brings together a lineup of international and regional talent.

Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir is an internationally acclaimed Icelandic cellist praised for her “emotional intensity.” Thorsteinsdóttir has performed at Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Disney Hall and beyond.

Halldór Smárason is an Icelandic composer and Manhattan School of Music graduate whose debut album “STARA” and collaborations with the Iceland Symphony and Ensemble intercontemporain have earned international recognition.

Evan Premo is artistic director of Northwoods Music Collaborative and member of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect.

Laurel Premo is known for her roots-infused, Nordic-tinged sound that drives the festival’s deep and distinctive musical experience.

Together, the ensemble will present a program blending traditional Icelandic melodies with improvisational explorations of “sense of place,” reflecting both the rugged beauty of Iceland and the Northwoods.

This year’s concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time Friday at Reynolds Recital Hall, Northern Michigan University in Marquette; at 7 p.m. Central time Saturday at Nicolet College Theatre, Rhinelander, Wis.; and 7 p.m. Central time Sunday at the Crystal Theatre, Crystal Falls.

For full details, venue addresses and ticket links, go to northwoodsmusiccollaborative.org.