Opening of the Musikkeller

Bremen is set to become even more resonant. On 28 April 2022, the University of the Arts (HfK) Bremen will ceremonially open the Musikkeller, its newly designed event venue, in the very centre of the Hanseatic city. The evening will be launched with the inaugural event of the “Resonanzen” music series. The concert begins at 9:15 pm. Tickets can be reserved in advance and, while stocks last, are available at the box office from 8:30 pm.

“Through the extensive renovation, we have succeeded in creating a new, special place for experiencing music. The dense, concentrated atmosphere and the closeness between musicians and audience – as known from the HfK Jazz Club – is now available to all the musical genres represented at the HfK. In future, audiences here will be able to experience a wide range of the most diverse musical forms of expression up close, from early music to electroacoustic performances, from operatic singing to piano concertos,” says Professor Roland Lambrette, Rector of the HfK Bremen.

The authentic atmosphere of the vaulted cellar is complemented by a bespoke interior which – from the stage to the seating – was produced in the HfK’s workshops. “Architecturally and technically, the renovation has created an ideal space for live music,” says Professor Lambrette.

Gourmets, too, will get their money’s worth. In conjunction with the Mensa13, the HfK’s catering on Dechanatstraße, a new place has emerged in Bremen that combines musical and culinary delights. The Mensa13 is run by Jan-Phillip Iwersen and his team from the renowned Küche13, one of the best restaurants in the city.

In keeping with the special character of the Musikkeller, its reopening will be celebrated with the launch of a new music series.

Resonanzen – that is, the sympathetic sounding of one body in the vibration of another – is the title of the music series. “Without resonances there is no music,” says Professor Lambrette. The event format questions familiar patterns and will take place once a month: the most varied styles will be presented in often unusual surroundings. “This way you can experience a classical concert in an urban setting more reminiscent of a jazz club. That is very exciting. And of course we also hope that musicians of different genres will inspire one another in this way,” says Professor Lambrette.

The concert will be opened by violinist Mechthild Karkow, Professor of Baroque Violin and Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching at the HfK Bremen. As a musician, she is regarded as one of the most versatile specialists in the field of historical performance practice. Her repertoire ranges from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century and also includes contemporary compositions.

The French pianist Lorenzo Soulès presents Claude Debussy’s setting of “Reflets dans l’eau” from the piano collection “Images”. Soulès will also invite the audience on a musical journey to Spain with the work “Triana” from Iberia by Isaac Albéniz.

Soprano Alexandra von der Weth and pianist Artem Yasynskyy present pieces by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolf. Von der Weth is a German opera and concert singer and vocal coach and, since November 2021, a visiting professor of voice at the University of the Arts Bremen. Artem Yasynskyy was born into a family of musicians in Donetsk, Ukraine. He gave his first concert at the age of eight. In 2010, Artem Yasynskyy began his postgraduate studies at the HfK with Professor Patrick O’Byrne, followed by a master’s degree. He completed both with distinction.

The concert is rounded off with jazz improvisations by Markus Schieferdecker, a German bassist of Modern Creative Jazz, in dialogue with pianist Oliver Poppe. Schieferdecker has been Professor of Jazz Double Bass and Electric Bass at the University of the Arts since 2020, where Poppe also teaches.

Tickets (while stocks last) are available at the box office on 28 April 2022 from 8:30 pm. A binding advance registration via email (KBB-Musik@hfk-bremen.de) is possible. The opening celebration begins at 9:15 pm. The admission price for adults is 10 euros; the reduced price for students is 3 euros.