Our Story
Klassiske Dage, Classic Days is a unique concert and cultural event for children and adults. Since 2005, the festival has invited some of the world’s finest classical musicians to Holstebro in Denmark once a year. From 2018, the festival has been expanded with the concept of Classic Days – Year-round, so that in Holstebro and the Central Jutland region you can experience even more concerts at the highest level, both in a top-professional setting and combined with the area’s young talents.
Classic Days are initiated by the international Danish flute player, Janne Thomsen. She has won international competitions and played with the world’s most prominent musicians, such as Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov and Joshua Bell. Now she brings her colleagues from the big scenes around the world to Denmark. Janne Thomsen also performs on Classic Days.
BACKGROUND
Classic Days was founded in 2005 by the flutist Janne Thomsen and is held every year on the 1st weekend in October.
It takes place in Janne Thomsen’s birthtown, Holstebro, where as a child she started her career at the Holstebro Music School, followed by studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Paris Conservatory’s soloist class. Today, in addition to her career as a soloist artistic director of the Classical Days, she has gained considerable educational experience by teaching at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the conservatory in Lucerne in Switzerland.
The festival, which has been carried out with increasing success every year since its inception, centers on the magnificent and newly restored theater and concert hall “Knudsens” which dates back to
1900. Also, the festival’s events take place in Holstebro Music Theatre, the churches, other locations in the city and in large parts of the Central Jutland region.
Main Venue:
KNUDSENS SAL
Built 1900, Renovated by Inger and Valdemar Birn 2004
Classic Day's musicians come from the inner circle of the international elite. Among the stars who have hosted the festival are: Borodin Quartet, Michala Petri, Ivry Gitlis, Ralf Gothoni, Viktoria Mullova, the horn trio of the Berlin Philharmonic, choreographer Volker Eisenach, Peter Frankl, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Tamas Vetö, Andreas Brantelid, Michala Petri, Priya Mitchell, Lars Anders Tomter, Håkan Hardenberger, English Chamber Orchestra, Sarah Willis, Katrine Gislinge, Christian Ihle Hadland, Hugo Ticciati, Christoffer Sundquist, Bent Sørensen, Isabelle Faust, Olli Mustonen, Modigliani Kvartetten, Alexander Melnikov and more.
But the festival also focuses on the entire musical food chain – from the smallest children with exuberant inspiration from our magnificent pianist, author and entertainer Sigurd Barrett to conservatory students and talented MGK students who have opened their musical horizons through masterclasses and workshops with the greatest masters on their instrument. In style, the festival has in recent years embraced wider and invited the finest musicians from the jazz and folk environments.
Since 2008, interactive children’s projects have been conducted as part of the festival. The goal of them is to convey music / dance / movement
to primary school students at a time when the commercial mainstream culture is so strong that an artistic counterbalance is needed.
Classic Days has had a rapid development over the years, since its very beginnings, it has undergone incredible development. Many well-known musicians have visited Holstebro and thousands of children and young people have participated side by side with the invited musicians from abroad, who all take the task of playing for and with children very seriously. All musicians have been children once, they have not forgotten that, in fact, music is one of the best to keep the child in us all.
Locally the festival embraces Classical Days broadly and collaborates with, for example, primary schools, Holstebro College, Holstebro Music School, Orchestra After School, Royal Danish Ballet School Holstebro, Black Box Dance Company, Ensemble Mid-West, Odin Theater and Holstebro Film Club.
Every year, one or more of the festival's soloists teach the most talented instrumentalists from the Danish music academies.
The festival presents annually a world premiere of a new composition:
2005 Peter Helms, Danmark
2006 Michael Berkeley, England
2007 Willy Stolarczyk, Danmark
2008 Philippe Hersant, Frankrig
2009 Frans Winther, Danmark
2010 Karsten Fundal, Danmark
2011 Yuval Gotlibovich
2012 Eric Tanguy
2013 Fuzzy
2014 Karsten Fundal
2015 Jacob Lorentzen
2016 Peteris Vasks
2017 Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen
2018 Anders Mogensen (jazz) og Harald Haugaard (folkemusik)
2019 Bo Holten og Frederik Zeuthen
2020 Bent Sørensen
International quality concerts are offered at reasonable prices right in the middle of Holstebro town and everyone is welcome! Music is the language of the whole world and can create contact and life across nationality, culture, religion, origin, age groups and gender. Music requires only one condition, that you can hear. Anyone who opens his mind can also learn to listen and open to the treasure trove of experiences that lie in the world of music.
The festival is financed by national funds, Holstebro Municipality, Ministry of Culture, private sponsors and ticket revenues.
Producer, Uffe Munkgaard
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CVR-nummer: 35150331
VAT number: DK-35150331
Vestjysk Bank: 7600 – 1547835
