May we serve a concert for lunch?
In spring 2023, the auditorium of the university's main building will be the rehearsal space for the University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, among others. This also means that some of the Academy of Music and Drama's traditional lunchtime concerts will move to Vasaparken. - We hope that our loyal audience will find us. But perhaps the move will also mean that we can reach new groups," says Anders Köllerström, Head of Unit for classical music at the Academy of Music and Drama.
"We've come full circle", says Anders Köllerström, in the auditorium on 28 April where a rehearsal with the University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra takes place.
"The auditorium was also a rehearsal space when I started studying in the 1980s. But the orchestra wasn't that big back then, and the room is really better suited for smaller ensembles. For example, when we collaborate with the Gothenburg Wind Orchestra.#
The reason why the auditorium has become a rehearsal space again is that the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts is rebuilding. A completely new building at Götaplatsen is planned to be completed in 2027, and the Artisten-building will be renovated and partly demolished. In the meantime, activities will be moved to different premises, with Eklandagatan 86 as the main address.
"There are several advantages to rehearse and have concerts in the university's main building", says Anders Köllerström.
"More residents could be attracted to listen to our talented music students and at the same time they might also discover the building itself. It's a really beautiful building in the middle of Gothenburg with an interesting history, fine works of art and a richly decorated auditorium. Perhaps we can organise exhibitions here so that our art and design students can also show their works."
"The University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra consists of students on the two-year Master's programme in Symphonic Orchestra Performance. The programme, which involves collaboration with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Gothenburg Opera, is unique. In addition, there is now an agreement for the orchestra to give three concerts a year in the Gothenburg Concert Hall." Henrik Schaefer, conductor and artistic director of the programme, explains.
"However, the auditorium is not ideal for rehearsing large orchestral works, the reverberation is long, which makes the music a bit cacophonous and it is difficult for the students to find each other. But at the same time, rehearsing in different kinds of rooms and acoustics is an important experience. At the moment, we are rehearsing Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique from 1830, one of the first works for large orchestra that contains both witches and a distorted death mass. What could be better for the concert we'll be performing in the Concert Hall on Walpurgis Night!"
The Academy of Music and Drama relocates
Starting in the summer of 2022, the Academy of Music and Drama will move out of the Artisten-building. Most of the students and employees will move a little later in the autumn to Eklandagatan 86. Parts of the programmes in Music and sound production, Composition and the Individual programme will be concentrated in Brewhouse, Gårda. The performing arts programmes will move to HDK-Valand, Vasagatan, and to Andra stället, Angered.
In addition, the Academy of Music and Drama will rent various public spaces around the city for certain concerts, performances, etc, such as the Gothenburg Concert Hall and several churches.
The auditorium of the university's main building will be a rehearsal space, e.g. for the University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Lunchtime concerts will also be held here.
Three times a year, the University of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Gothenburg Concert Hall.
Miguel Chamorro, violin
"I had been playing in a professional orchestra in Colombia for five years before coming to the Academy of Music and Drama. The teachers are fantastic and the repertoire very good. I prefer pieces that are technically challenging, preferably for a large orchestra. My favourite symphony is probably Mahler's Seventh, but otherwise I like Bach a lot.
Magdalena Scheid, bassoon, counter-bassoon
It's great that we can rehearse in the university auditorium, but of course the most amazing thing is to play in the Concert Hall, with its great acoustics and in front of an audience. I'm very excited about the concert on Walpurgis Night; a piece as dramatic as Symphonie fantastique is great fun to play.