The Royal Academy of Music, is aiming for a long-term partnership and musical growth
With its aim to further and encourage music culture in Denmark, The Royal Academy of Music plays a central part being the cultural music institution they are. The Royal Academy has since 2011 been partner with SPOT and they intend to keep things that way. We had a talk with Vibe Thorhauge, leader of Production at The Royal Academy of Music, about the SPOT partnership and their dreams.
By Nap Samary Lukunku
The partnership is obvious
The partnership has since it was formed back in 2011, played a vital role to the Academy. And since the early days of the Academy presenting alongside SPOT, where they only presented four bands to the SPOT programme, the two music organizations have seen a major development in their relationship.
According to Vibe Thorhauge, daily leader of Production at the Academy, Aarhus needs a music festival such as SPOT. The festival is not only a great cultural addition to the city of Aarhus, but also a great show window for the Academy’s students, she points out.
“Our partnership with SPOT Festival is vital. We have worked together since 2011, and it is obvious to be part of something as large as SPOT Festival for a cultural institution as we are. Our students are, technically, SPOT material. It is an outstanding opportunity for them to perform at the music festival. It opens up so many doors,” says Vibe Thorhauge.
The aim and ambition is to contribute to one of SPOT’s many strengths, musical diversity and originality. When The Royal Academy of Music joins SPOT Festival this year, it will be with 14 bands and artists. The format that SPOT consistently aspire to obtain corresponds very well with The Royal Academy’s aim for creativity and diversity.
“The first year we joined SPOT we participated with only four bands. This year is different. It is important to us that the quality matches SPOTs caliber, which is why our selection committee is carefully selected with three from the academy and one from SPOT. Michael Callesen from SPOT joined us this year – and last year it was Esben Marcher that joined us. Our aim is to generate as much diversity and nuance in our judgment, possible.” Vibe Thorhauge explains.
Room for creativity and experiments
This year the Academy opens their new ‘Klubscene’. It is also here most of the Academy’s bands and artists will perform. The idea with the new venue is to create a new sense of energy and feel. Their audience is everyone with a bit curiosity and partiality for discovering new music, as the Academy perform with everything from acid jazz, singer-song-writer to rock and electronic.
“In our newly established club scene, the audience will experience a range of different genres. The new plug-and-play ready scene has a bit more club feeling to it. In this way, we can be much more experimental. None of the 14 concerts will look alike and if I should attach three keywords to the performances, it would be new, fresh and original, but also with a lot of diversity. Just in the SPOT-spirit.” Vibe Thorhauge concludes.
