Philharmonie Luxembourg: mission, culture and people

What is the main mission of Philharmonie Luxembourg, and what role does it play in Luxembourg’s cultural life? 

Philharmonie Luxembourg brings music to life in all its diversity and makes it accessible to everyone. Since its opening in 2005, it has become an essential part of cultural life in Luxembourg and beyond: a space where leading international orchestras meet the local scene, contemporary creation, and a diverse audience. 

How would you describe Philharmonie Luxembourg’s artistic positioning compared to other major European concert halls? 

There are number of wonderful concert halls in Europe and ours is most certainly one of them.   Our programme offers everything from traditional concert experiences to contemporary and experimental events both local and international. Classical music meets jazz; contemporary creations, such as those at the rainy days festival, dialogue with other musics from all round the world, as showcased in the atlântico festival. Participatory projects for adults coexist with those designed for the youngest audiences. Philharmonie Luxembourg is a place for live music driven by the ambition to share the best of musical experiences. 

We are unusual among concert halls because we not only present many visiting artists and ensembles, but we also run an orchestra, the Luxembourg Philharmonic.  This is our national orchestra, and it is also an international orchestra that tours regularly throughout Europe and the rest of the world.  The Luxembourg Philharmonic is made up of 99 musicians of 25 different nationalities and performs on the highest level with the best conductors and soloists.   

What trends or innovations are you noticing in classical and contemporary music? 

We see, particularly for the younger generation of artists, that they don’t feel the need to limit their work to a particular style or musical genre. Our Rising Stars series presents the next generation of musicians who already perform on a top level, and it is amazing to witness how many of them fearlessly combine classic and contemporary repertoire and slip effortlessly between genres.

The rainy days festival, dedicated to contemporary and experimental music, under the artistic direction of Catherine Kontz, is all about creative innovation. Focusing this year on the theme “bodies”, we will experience music performed with cans of spray paint, with theatrical ritual and even with Judo!    

How do you select artists and ensembles for your seasons and festivals?

Everything we do is a collaboration with artists that starts with a conversation.  We aim to represent the best of what the musical world has to offer; and the musical world is pretty vast.  So, our Artistic Planning team spends time communicating with many many different voices, from leading orchestras and soloists to emerging musicians, composers and ensembles, from Luxembourg and beyond. Offering the highest quality musical experiences for our audiences is important to us as is fostering discovery, sharing ideas which are the results of these conversations.

Which concerts or events in the current season are particularly innovative or remarkable?

There are too many to mention... but let’s try! For some artists innovating is an important part of their raison d’être.  Pianist Hiromi, presents her album Sonicwonderland in November, blending jazz, rock, classical, and video game music, and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, who performed the #LetsBaRock project with Aleksander Dębicz in September, offering Baroque works with a pop twist… and a touch of breakdancing.

Innovation also comes through less traditional concert formats such as our cine-concerts that continue to be very popular with the public.  This season we have three cine-concerts dedicated to films by Alfred Hitchcock. We are creating new communities, with the addition of a regular series of Jam Sessions and through a collaboration outside of our walls with the Paper Lantern Collective, participatory workshops for the whole family culminating in a neighbourhood carnival in June. 

Across the 25/26 season we present a thematic cycle of concerts, Echoes of India, highlighting the wonderful musics of the Indian cultural world, performed by musicians such as Anoushka Shankar. And there are some special festival moments during the season: atlântico, showcasing music from the Lusophone world, and the Familljefestival that is all about Christmas.

Honestly, we hope that there is something remarkable in every concert that we present, and I think our expectations can be high with orchestras like the Berliner Philharmoniker or London Symphony and artists like Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Tugan Sokhiev, Paavo Järvi, Martha Argerich, Sol Gabetta, Leonidas Kavakos, Janine Jansen or Joshua Bell.   

What challenges do you face in attracting new audiences and making classical music accessible to all? 

The aim is to make our concerts and concert hall approachable, to open doors, and invite everyone to find a place for themselves here. Philharmonie Luxembourg is a place of discovery and so we offer affordable pricing (including the Kulturpass which offers access to audiences with fewer resources and our Phil30 app for those 30 and under) and mediation activities. We also contextualize the music to make it lively and relatable, for example through résonances events, offering pre-concert introductions, conversations with artists, documentaries and lectures.

Are there educational or introductory music projects for younger audiences?

Absolutely. Music education is central to our mission. The Philharmonie offers more than 400 educational activities each season including concerts for children, workshops and participatory projects. Young audiences don’t just listen to music but also to take part in music making. A flagship initiative is Lëtz sang!, a national choral project gathering students from across the country, culminating in a final concert in our Grand Auditorium each June.

What makes a concert at Philharmonie Luxembourg unique for the audience?

The building is just extraordinary; an uplifting place to visit.  The combination of space, designed by Christian de Portzamparc, and the fantastic acoustic creates an intimate connection between musicians and the audience.  And let’s not forget the role that the audience plays in creating an event.  So often artists remark after their concerts here how attentive, engaged and appreciative our public is.

What are your hopes and perspectives for the future of Philharmonie Luxembourg and Luxembourg’s music scene?

Simply to be that place that is loved by every visitor (whatever your age) and every artist who performs here.