Now in its eighth year, the Impuls Festival – an annual contemporary music festival in Graz – has quickly risen to become one of Mitteleuropa’s premiere events. The 2023 edition, taking place from July 23 – August 8, will feature the mixture of internationally acclaimed ensembles and up-and-coming artists that contemporary music lovers in Austria have come to expect.
Over time, contemporary music events have become more adventurous with their programming. In the attempt to attract a broader (and likely younger) audience, many festivals have taken to staging concerts and other events at locations less commonly associated with experimental music.
The Impuls Festival is no exception: for two weeks in July and August, the festival will offer a varied daily menu of music and discourse in a number of different forms – besides the traditional setting, the festival will include formats such as minute concerts, installation concerts, and a late-night series – all around the city of Graz.
The festival (and accompanying academy for young musicians) will feature established ensembles such as the Klangforum Wien and Quatuor Diotima, ensembles in residence including hand werk and Decoder, and up-and-coming ensembles like NEKO3 and Ex-Sentia. The program will showcase the rich and diverse repertoire of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries, including various world and Austrian premieres, many produced specifically for and/or during the festival.
Cultivating the next generation
The festival’s extensive concert program is supplemented by a series of networking events for musicians and industry professionals, and Austrian Music Export is proud to play a supporting role: in order to strengthen connections in the contemporary music scene, Austrian Music Export has invited promoters from international festivals to Graz to take part. This way, young musicians in particular have the chance to meet and talk with them directly, thus planting seeds for their own professional network.
The opening concert, with the Schallfeld Ensemble is happening tomorrow, July 23rd, at 8:00 p.m. at MUMUTH in Graz. For the complete concert program, see the festival’s concert calendar.