Haus der Musik - Das Klangmuseum

Newsletter July 2010

Three cheers to our anniversary!

Thousands of visitors joined our birthday celebration.

From June 1 - 10, the sound museum celebrated its 10-year anniversary. We spent ten busy days, offering a high-calibre series of events. Our line-up included everything from children's concerts with Marko Simsa and Bernhard Fibich, to performances by local talents like Clara Luzia and international artists like Sophie Hunger, William Fitzsimmons, Giant Sand and many more. 

We are pleased about the many thousands of visitors who joined us in our anniversary celebration. We were also happy to welcome Maestro Zubin Mehta, Haus der Musik's honorary president, as well as many other prominent guests who had come to congratulate the sound museum.

Highlights and a review of our anniversary festival can be found here.

Haus der Musik is not alone in celebrating a musical anniversary. In 2010 we also celebrate the anniversaries of Frédéric Chopin, Otto Nicolai, Gustav Mahler and Hugo Wolf. Haus der Musik is honouring them with topical events and exhibitions.

Our current special exhibition on Hugo Wolf opened with a book presentation and concert evening on June 15. Titled "Hugo Wolf zum 150. Geburtstag," the exhibition explores Hugo Wolf's Spanish works. On the occasion of Frédéric Chopin's 200^th birthday, Haus der Musik starts a series of free summer concerts in its glass-roofed courtyard. In the coming days we look forward to exciting performances by electro pioneer Hans Joachim Roedelius and young Austrian singer/ songwriter Bernhard Eder, both of whom Haus der Musik is welcoming for the first time.

During the summer months we also offer regular weekend and children's guided tours for our young visitors. Escape the heat and cool down while discovering the world of sound and music at Haus der Musik!

Newsletter June 2010

A Musical Anniversary Year.

A reason to celebrate!

Haus der Musik is celebrating its ten-year anniversary in June. We invite our visitors to a ten-day festival, featuring an exciting line-up of concerts and events. Since its opening in the year 2000 1,8 million visitors from around the world have explored the world of sounds and music offered at Haus der Musik. For the past five years, the institution has been a venture of Wien Holding - an environment we feel very comfortable in.

Haus der Musik's innovative interactive features invite to explore musical content in playful and interesting new ways. Installations like the "Virtual Conductor" or "Brain Opera" are unique to Haus der Musik and two of its many attractions. We attach much importance to our close cooperation with schools. For the outstanding didactic adaptation of musical content, its presentation and the interactive elements Haus der Musik has been praised with the Austrian Museum Award.

We are particularly pleased by Haus der Musik's international recognition. Our honorary president Zubin Mehta recently complemented the city of Vienna for hosting "a musical model project of international significance." Our in-house concert series "Live on Stage" presents concerts by first-rate performers. The artist's talk series, held in cooperation with the Viennese Philharmonic, allows a close and personal look at acclaimed international personalities. Varied children's programming and special thematic exhibitions complete Haus der Musik's offerings.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our visitors, partners, friends, sponsors and supporters, as well as my team for its great efforts. The Haus der Musik Team and I are looking forward to the coming years and hope to surprise you with ever new and innovative ways of exploring the world of music and sounds. As Nitzsche said: "Without music, life would be an error."

We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and look forward to welcoming you soon at Haus der Musik.

Yours sincerely,

Simon K. Posch

Executive Director, Haus der Musik

Newsletter May 2010

A Musical Anniversary Year

A reason to celebrate!

Haus der Musik is celebrating its ten-year anniversary in June. We invite our visitors to a ten-day festival, featuring an exciting line-up of concerts and events. Since its opening in the year 2000 1,8 million visitors from around the world have explored the world of sounds and music offered at Haus der Musik. For the past five years, the institution has been a venture of Wien Holding - an environment we feel very comfortable in.

Haus der Musik’s innovative interactive features invite to explore musical content in playful and interesting new ways.

Installations like the “Virtual Conductor” or “Brain Opera” are unique to Haus der Musik and two of its many attractions. We attach much importance to our close cooperation with schools. For the outstanding didactic adaptation of musical content, its presentation and the interactive elements Haus der Musik has been praised with the Austrian museum award.

We are particularly pleased by Haus der Musik’s international recognition. Our honorary president Zubin Mehta recently complemented the city of Vienna for hosting “a musical model project of international significance.”

Our in-house event series “Live on Stage” presents concerts by first-rate performers. The artist’s talk series, held in cooperation with the Viennese Philharmonic, allows a close and personal look at acclaimed international personalities. Varied children’s programming and special thematic exhibitions complete Haus der Musik’s offerings.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our visitors, partners, friends, sponsors and supporters, as well as my team for its great efforts.

The Haus der Musik Team and I are looking forward to the coming years and hope to surprise you with ever new and innovative ways of exploring the world of music and sounds. As Nitzsche said: “Without music, life would be an error.”

We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and look forward to welcoming you soon at Haus der Musik.

Newsletter April 2010

Success for Chopin

Suspense for the 10-year anniversary!

Visitors and media are meeting Haus der Musik's Chopin exhibition with great interest. Together with the curating, Chopin's largely unknown relations to Vienna and their filmic representation are attracting particular attention.

In April a concert will complement our Chopin focus! "Chopin Around" awaits you with contemporary Chopin interpretations.

The Chopin exhibition also marks the launch of Haus der Musik's anniversary festival. In the first week of June, the Sound Museum honours its ten-year anniversary with a weeklong festival, featuring a firework of events, many surprises and colourful programming.

Haus der Musik is, after all, among the city's most popular museums. This success is owed to the continuous efforts of our staff, as well as numerous musicians and artists.

In the coming years, the Sound Museum will continuously upgrade its interactive features to offer ever new music experiences.

At the same time, we maintain our programmatic focus: young sophisticated music performances, clever children's programme, smart events and small yet superb exhibitions.

Newsletter March 2010

200 and 10 Years

Two Anniversaries - Two Highlights

2010 marks the 200th birthday anniversary of Frédéric Chopin, who spent some of his younger years in the city of Vienna. Haus der Musik is dedicating a special exhibition to this "Viennese Period." Opening in the coming days, it offers insight into a time in Chopin's life, marked equally by great enthusiasm, disappointment and melancholy.

In 2010 we are also celebrating another anniversary. 10 years ago, Vienna saw the realisation of a novel museum concept: "Haus der Musik," interactive sound experience, museum of music history, event space and musical laboratory - all in one - opened its doors to the public.

Haus der Musik has since established itself as an attraction in Vienna's cultural scene, drawing locals and tourists alike. It is a lively event forum, music promoter and musical meeting point for thousands of children and teenagers. Located in the heart of Vienna - a city many consider to be the music capital of the world - Haus der Musik is sound museum and essential music pedagogical institution alike.

We enter our second decennium optimistically, full of energy and - of course - with a celebration. Allow us to surprise you during our anniversary festival days from June 1 - 10, 2010.

Newsletter February 2010

An anniversary year ...

... after a year of records

More than 200,000 visitors in spite of the economic crisis and the slight drop in tourists coming to Vienna! Haus der Musik once again saw an increase in the number of visitors in 2009 and we are just as pleased to note that the events - from children's concerts to Live on Stage - were also more popular than ever.

In 2010, Haus der Musik has a further cause for celebration as it notches up its tenth anniversary. The programme that has been devised to mark this special event contains something for music lovers of all ages.

The celebrations start in March with an exhibition - the only one in Austria - to commemorate the 200th birthday of Frédéric Chopin. There will also be an accompanying musical programme during the summer months.

Mention should be made of the two most recent collaborations with the Vienna Philharmonic. First, there is the "Virtual Conductor" - reloaded with an introduction by Maestro Zubin Mehta - which features a new selection of pieces and improved picture quality and is already being enthusiastically received by the public.

From mid-February, a selection from the 2010 New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic can be viewed in HD quality on a giant screen in the Sound Museum. Conducted by Georges Prêtre, it is generally regarded as one of the best in recent years. The highly popular DVD is available in our shop along with numerous other musical souvenirs.

The Live on Stage series is continuing this year and there are also additional children's concerts and monthly guest performances by the Wiener Mozartknaben.

We look forward to a variety of events in February and other special anniversary experiences at Haus der Musik.

Newsletter January 2010

From Chopin to Nicolai

Anniversaries in 2010

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Haus der Musik, which opened in June 2000, was the first interactive sound museum in Austria and is the only one of its kind in Europe; not only documenting the history of music and the life of musicians and composers but also offering an interactive insight into the secrets of sound and functioning as a music venue.

We are pleased to report that in the last ten years, more than 1.5 million people from all over the world have visited the Sound Museum and attended concerts and musical events.

Haus der Musik will celebrate its tenth anniversary in fitting style in 2010 and also has some surprises in store. Before the anniversary celebrations there will be a Chopin exhibition, as well as concerts to mark the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great Polish composer and virtuoso.

The first anniversary of the year was already celebrated on 31 December 2009 in the party atmosphere of the Vienna New Year's Trail, which once again attracted more than 600,000 people this year.

The Vienna Philharmonic is a partner of Haus der Musik and the CD and DVD of its New Year's Concert are now available in the Haus der Musik shop. An edited version of the concert in HD quality will also be projected on a giant screen in the Philharmonic Museum.

The "Virtual Conductor" is a further attraction and highly popular feature of the Sound Museum. The new interactive elements and much improved image quality, the additional pieces and the commentary by Zubin Mehta have proved to be a huge draw.

Otherwise Haus der Musik is continuing its tried and tested strategies: Live on Stage, concerts for children, discussions and events for teachers and schools.

Celebrate 2010 with us.

Your

Haus der Musik - team

Newsletter December 2009

Approaching a New Decade with Waltz Sounds.

New Year's Trail in Vienna, the Virtual Conductor in the Sound Museum.

The presentation of the "new" Virtual Conductor, which is the absolute show stopper at Haus der Musik, has been exceptionally successful. Clemens Hellsberg, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, took part alongside Prof. Jan Borchers and Prof. Max Mühlhäuser, the ingenious software specialists responsible for programming the new Virtual Conductor: better quality, a wider choice and more precise interaction between conductors and orchestra.

On 31 December, we will hear waltz sounds when, in the course of the traditional New Year's Trail - which is well known and loved even beyond Vienna's borders - all visitors at Haus der Musik will be dancing into and welcoming the New Year. More than half a million visitors are expected to attend and to turn the entire City of Vienna into a huge dance floor.

The new decade also means a new, second decade for Haus der Musik. In June we commemorate our 10th anniversary - with comprehensive live-events and some surprises.

2010 will be the year of musical anniversaries: Gustav Mahler, Otto Nikolai, Hugo Wolf and, primarily, Frédéric Chopin, who will take centre stage in a special exhibition in our Sound Museum.

And here is another tip for December: The shop of the Sound Museum stocks many creative Christmas presents; not only musical items and music CDs but also fun accessories. A highly recommended present is our MemberCard, which will make a perfect gift for everyone: An entire year, the recipient will have free access to the museum and enjoy many more benefits.

Newsletter November 2009

Records, premieres, anniversaries

Haus der Musik was once again one of the most popular museums during the 10th ORF Long Night of Museums on 3 October 2009, counting more than 5,100 visitors; an achievement that we can rightly be proud of.

In November, Haus der Musik is also involved in two further cultural events: Voicemania and BUCH WIEN, the international book fair - the latter of course with a musical accompaniment in the form of a book presentation and talk at Haus der Musik subtitled "Triumph and Tragedy of the Wagner Dynasty".

The museum is also embarking on a new dimension with aAmplify, a work-in-progress project by contemporary composers who use the web as a platform for multimedia publications - with self-produced recordings, interviews, insights into composition workshops, music production in pictures and videos and samples of scores and manuscripts.

The top event at the end of November is the presentation of our new Virtual Conductor featuring Maestro Zubin Mehta with state-of-the-art technology and new pieces of music in top HD quality - a reinvention as it were of this popular installation.

We can also look forward to a number of anniversaries next year: the 10th birthday of Haus der Musik as well as Chopin and Nicolai commemorations. Further details will be provided in the next newsletter.

We hope you will enjoy reading this month's newletter and look forward to welcoming you soon at Haus der Musik.

Newsletter October 2009

Musical experiences for everybody.

Jazz for children, Prêtre for the classical music fan.

Full programme in October at Haus der Musik. On the first Saturday of the month, thousands of visitors have already flocked to the Sound Museum for the 10th instalment of the ORF „Long Night of Museums".

This special event is living proof of the enthusiasm for music and museum visits across all ages and social strata. Haus der Musik has taken part in the Long Night from the very beginning - and has ever since been one of the crowd pullers. Incidentally, Haus der Musik is perfectly accustomed to nocturnal museum visits, with its exhibition being accessible until 10pm daily on all of the other 364 days in the year as well.

One of the most important endeavours of our institution is to promote understanding of and enthusiasm for music among children. For years guided tours have been held for school groups (to an increasing extent), there are workshops for music teachers, Marko Simsa - he is also celebrating an anniversary this year - delights the little ones with his concerts and readings. Bernhard Fibich has moreover made his debut and in October there will be a third focus: Jazz for children with the Jakob Pocket Band.

For classical music fans there is a particularly rare artists' discussion: Clemens Hellsberg, CEO of the Vienna Philharmonic, meets Georges Prêtre, who will lead the New Year´s Concert of the Philharmonic once more in 2010. At over 80 years of age, Prêtre still rushes from one success to the next and conducts with confidence and imagination like he seldom has before.