"An expression of new beginnings": jazz hall celebrates topping-out ceremony

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Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation and Senate expand HfMT jazz department - number of study places to be doubled by 2022/23

A new performance and concert hall with a capacity of about 400 people is currently under construction on the campus of the University of Music and Drama (HfMT), right next to the Alster. What makes it special: The 550 m² Jazz Hall is located beneath the garden and will rise from the lawn only by the amount of additional headroom required, so as not to obstruct the view of the Budge Palace, a historic landmark. The total project cost for the Jazz Hall is approximately 5.7 million euros. Of this amount, the Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation is contributing 5 million euros, and the City of Hamburg is contributing up to 700,000 euros. Operations are scheduled to begin in the winter semester of 2020. The Jazz Hall is being built by Sprinkenhof GmbH under the tenant-landlord model (MVM).

Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science: “The Jazz Hall will be a highly attractive and modern concert hall that, together with the expansion of the HfMT’s jazz program, will enhance the international appeal of the university and Hamburg as a music hub. Jazz students, as well as national and international stars of the scene, will have an excellent venue to develop new concert formats and thrill their audiences. Thanks to the Jazz Hall’s unique design, which also allows for open-air concerts, the HfMT will be able to engage even more effectively with the wider community. This benefits all residents of Hamburg as well as visitors to our city. I would like to thank everyone involved—especially the Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation—for their tremendous commitment.”

Dr. Ernst A. Langner, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation: “After 15 years of developing a design concept for the Jazz Hall, the topping-out ceremony finally marks a milestone in its realization. I would like to thank the architects, the technical supervisors, the specialist planners, and all the construction companies involved for their dedication in bringing my design vision to life. May the architecture and acoustics of the new building bring much joy and happiness to students, faculty, and concertgoers. May the building, once completed, develop into a creative center for jazz composition and jazz improvisation. Through ‘crossover’ music, jazz and classical music—as well as other styles of world music—will come together in harmony.”

Expansion of the Jazz Master’s Program at the HfMT
The Jazz Hall is the first component of a comprehensive package designed to strengthen jazz education in Hamburg. In cooperation with the Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation, the Master’s program in jazz at the university is also set to be significantly expanded. To this end, in addition to the Jazz Hall, the Jazz Lab will provide new seminar and practice rooms for the HfMT’s Jazz Department. The Master’s program in Jazz was established in 2014 with financial support from the Dr. E. A. Langner Foundation and currently offers eight spots. Starting in 2021, the State Ministry of Science will assume funding for the program and expand it to 16 student spots by the 2022–23 winter semester. The master’s program is a key component in ensuring excellence in jazz education in Hamburg and attracting the most talented young musicians to the city. At the same time, this program serves as a major draw for national and international jazz musicians who come to the city as guest lecturers for master classes.

Prof. Elmar Lampson, President of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama: “The construction of the Dr. Langner Jazz Hall will make the university and Hamburg’s music scene more vibrant, modern, and jazz-oriented. The Jazz Hall embodies the university’s new beginning and ongoing development as an innovative institution that is setting new trends in Hamburg’s cultural life. My thanks go to Dr. Ernst A. Langner and his foundation for this groundbreaking support, which is one of the largest private donations in the university’s history. I am proud to live in a city that embraces and builds upon this support, making the realization of this project possible. I thank First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher and Second Mayor and Senator for Science Katharina Fegebank for their outstanding support.”

Prof. Wolf Kerschek, winner of the Echo Klassik and Hamburg Jazz Awards and professor at the University of Music and Drama: “We can only experience and learn the soul of jazz on stage, through interaction with our fellow musicians and the audience. Jazz stands for openness, exchange, communication, and improvisation—and it’s good for our city. Very soon, the people of Hamburg and all interested guests will be able to witness firsthand how our musical future is taking shape. I would like to extend my special thanks to the Dr. E.A. Langner Foundation for its many years of steadfast commitment and generous support of jazz education, as well as to all the political leaders who are making this visionary project a reality.”

Jazz-Hall: A Unique Indoor and Outdoor Concert Hall
The Jazz-Hall is a performance and concert space located at the front of the HfMT, largely recessed into the ground. The hall is being built in front of the striking Budge-Palais and the Trautwein buildings, beneath the HfMT’s gardens, in a section of the existing underground parking garage. It will rise from the lawn only by the amount of additional headroom required. What makes it special is that the space can be used both indoors and outdoors. The glass façade behind the stage is designed to open, allowing the orchestra to perform open-air concerts facing the Alster meadows. Seating steps will be installed in front of the fully openable glass façade for this purpose. The goal is to foster a close connection with the public. Thanks to the structural design of the roof, neighboring properties are protected from noise pollution during summer concerts when the façade is open. The concert hall, which seats approximately 200 people, can also be used for lectures.
The design for the Jazz-Hall was created by the architectural firm MPP MEDING PLAN + PROJEKT. The Jazz-Hall is being built by the municipal company Sprinkenhof GmbH as part of the tenant-landlord model (MVM). As the developer of the new building, Sprinkenhof GmbH has already successfully completed the energy-efficient renovation of the Trautwein buildings. As the central commercial real estate company of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Sprinkenhof shapes the city’s image through new construction and renovation projects and, as an investor and project developer, builds for Hamburg’s future.