Musikkens Hus
Concert house on the Aalborg waterfront by Coop Himmelb(l)au, home of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.
Musikkens Hus stands on reclaimed harbour land on the southern bank of the Limfjord, a short walk from the centre of Aalborg. The Viennese practice Coop Himmelb(l)au won the design competition in 2003, but financing delays meant the building was not inaugurated until 29 March 2014. It takes the form of a U-shaped block of studios and teaching rooms wrapped around a free-standing concert hall, with a tall glazed foyer facing the water and a cantilevered upper floor overhead.
The main hall seats around 1,300 and is the home of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, whose season runs from late summer to spring. Smaller halls, a rhythmic music room and rehearsal studios host jazz, chamber music, opera on tour, talks and family concerts, and the building is shared with the Royal Academy of Music's Aalborg department and Aalborg University's music programmes. The foyer, café and restaurant are open to visitors during the day without a ticket.
Highlights
- Concert hall of about 1,300 seats wrapped by a U-shaped teaching block
- Glazed waterfront foyer beneath a cantilevered upper storey
- Resident Aalborg Symphony Orchestra with its own season
- Guided backstage tours on selected dates
