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A LINZ09 Showcase at the European Parliament in Brussels Garnered an Enthusiastic Reception

Press Release, 15 October 2008

The presentation on October 14, 2008 in Brussels commenced with comprehensive rundown of the Linz09 theater program as well as the province-wide school project “I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT.” The audience that assembled in the Royal Flemish Theater included artists from the fields of dance and theater. Following a press conference, Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture put its best foot forward in the European Parliament.

There was a big turnout for the event. More than 350 guests including representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and other European institutions as well as Austrian expatriates currently residing in Brussels attended the get-together hosted by MEP Harald Ettl in the Yehudi Menuhin Space of the Paul-Henri Spaak Building.
Prominent guests included Claudia Schmied (Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture), Josef Pühringer (Governor of the Province of Upper Austria), Erich Watzl (Deputy Mayor of the City of Linz and Chairman of the Linz09 Board of Directors), Odile Quintin (General Director for Education and Culture, European Commission), Katerina Batzeli (Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Education, European Parliament), MEP Paul Rübig, MEP Christa Prets and Christoph Leitl (President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce).

Ensemble09’s world premiere performance of “Instant Anton” provided a first look at the Linz09 musical program. The concert featured quintessential excerpts from Anton Bruckner’s 3rd, 4th and 7th Symphonies in an arrangement by Thomas Kerbl.
A screening of Linz09’s new promotional film and an exhibition of photographs by Paul Kranzler offered audience members the opportunity to take a virtual tour of Linz.
An outstanding example of the innovative media art that has been making a name for Upper Austria’s capital city worldwide was also on display: “Librovision” is an interactive electronic book developed at the Ars Electronica Center Linz.
An offering of a more traditional sort was Veronika Daxecker’s musical artistry on the zither.

Martin Heller, artistic director of Linz09, and Ulrich Fuchs, deputy artistic director and head of project development, delivered the keynote addresses elaborating on the focal points of the Capital of Culture year’s program while also bringing out its tremendous diversity. The projects showcased in Brussels included “The Cultural Capital of the Fuhrer” and “The European Green Belt” exhibitions produced in cooperation with the Museums of the Province of Upper Austria and “80+1,” a virtual journey around the world. “Acoustic City” is set to make Linz Europe’s acoustic model city. One project that elicited particular interest among the representatives of the European Parliament was “Extra Europa,” an encounter with three of Europe’s non-EU member states: Turkey, Norway and Switzerland.

Details:

Statement Claudia Schmied, Austrian Federal Minister for Education, the Arts and Culture

Statement Erich Watzl, Deputy Mayor of Linz and Chairman of Linz09

Statement Landeshauptmann Dr. Josef Pühringer