Scan Magazine | A Nordic 2016 Culture Calendar | Denmark
The first thing that meets the eye when approaching Musikhuset Aarhus is the impressive 2,000-square-metre glass foyer.
A Nordic 2016 Culture Calendar
‘We don’t just want to be the biggest – we want to be the best’ As the largest concert hall complex of its kind in Scandinavia, it is not surprising that Musikhuset Aarhus has a great deal to offer. But quantity is not what defines the continuously developing concert hall – it is rather a desire to be the best in the eyes of those who matter the most: the audience. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Musikhuset
Within the last year, more than 500,000 guests visited Musikhuset Aarhus (the Concert Hall Aarhus) making it one of the most-visited cultural institutions in the region. What is more, according to a recent user survey, is that a total of 96 per cent of visitors left the house happy with their experience (only 0.5 per cent were actually unhappy). The broad popularity can, to a large extent, be attributed to the fact that the house has the facilities and expertise to present an extraordinarily diverse range of genres in optimal settings. From ballet performances to rock concerts and musicals 34 | Issue 84 | January 2016
for all ages – if there is music and quality in it, there is a stage for it at Musikhu set Aarhus. “What makes us stand out is not just our size. We present both talent and international stars when we host our more than 1,200 events a year. And, equally important is the fact that our complex is the home of many significant institutions related to music. That makes us unique,” explains director Jan Christensen. “Another thing that’s important is that we are a music venue with a capital M. We are not a concert hall for classical music – which there are a lot of in the Nordic countries – but neither are we a culture house. Almost everything that takes place here is centred on music.” Among the resident institutions at Musikhuset Aarhus are the Royal Acad-