Bozar, Brussels’ cultural powerhouse

Ulrich Hauschild (pictured) officially took over as Bozar’s new music director in January, 2013, succeeding the vastly experienced and successful Christian Renard, who had held the job for 20 years. What made the 46-year-old from Munich come to Brussels? “If you compare Bozar to other cultural institutions anywhere in Europe, it is truly unique: where else could you find so many possibilities to work across genre boundaries? Of course, music still dominates Bozar, but it goes hand in hand with arts exhibitions, cinema, literature and musical theatre.”

Having combined a musical education (clarinet, saxophone, double bass and singing) with a degree in economics at the University of Passau, where he wrote his master’s thesis on cultural sponsoring, Hauschild started his professional career as assistant to Robert Wilson, the American opera and theatre director. He then worked for several years with Gerard Mortier, when the Belgian was leading the Salzburg Festival of music and drama. After a few seasons in charge of artistic programming at the Dortmund Konzerthaus, Hauschild became director-general of the Weimar Kunstfest festival, where news of the Bozar vacancy reached him.

Has he already had a chance to make his mark on Bozar’s 2013-2014 season? “No, it really is Christian Renard’s brainchild. But by taking a close look at the upcoming events, we identified three main accents: French composer Rameau, the exhibition of Spanish Baroque painter Zubarán, and what I’d call ‘From Russia With Love’, as we’ll have splendid Russian music throughout the season.” Even if Hauschild’s baptism of fire will come with the 2014-2015 season, he already has very clear ideas. “My future season will have a theme and a motto. I am already fine-tuning my ideas and discussing this with agents, our partners and of course the artists, who are showing real enthusiasm for this approach. It’s good to have their point of view. Having a clearly defined theme makes communicating about what we do a lot easier.”

Having been in Brussels a while, what does Hauschild think about Bozar audiences? “We have a faithful public, people who have held season-tickets for years, who are knowledgeable about music and really appreciate it.” But how does one go about renewing and rejuvenating audiences? “We must have a unique selling proposition, insisting on interdisciplinarity: music, art shows, dance, theatre – anything that could attract a new audience. Just go to a museum and see how contemporary art is readily accepted. Contemporary music is a harder nut to crack: it does take a learning process in order to be appreciated.”

Are there lessons to be drawn from the fields of early and Baroque music, where the ‘authentic’ approach started as a minority interest before becoming the norm? “Yes, they taught us a new way of listening to music as it was supposed to have been played, and they managed to create a new, unprejudiced audience. And look at what musicians and conductors like René Jacobs, Philippe Herreweghe, Roger Norrington or Jos van Immerseel are doing now, as they keep expanding from Baroque to classical and Romantic repertoire.”

Let’s leave the musical for the personal:  how is he adapting to Brussels? “There are things you immediately notice on the street, such as hearing three, four or five languages being spoken around you. You think, this place is really international. Take Bozar: everything is bilingual here and the nice thing is that every day I get to use all the languages I know. Well, if this isn’t European, then what is? Plus there is an amazing mix of people here, a coexistence of all colours and religions. What I like about it is the local infrastructure: you can always find neighbourhood shops, bakeries, butcher’s shops nearby. Brussels also offers an excellent quality of life: it’s got nice restaurants, beautiful parks. And for those interested in culture, the combination of expats, EU institutions and cultural services from different embassies as well as other Brussels cultural institutions offers enormous possibilities of exchange.”

What does he like less about his newly adopted home? “Unlike, say, Paris, it’s a place that requires some effort if you want to discover its beauties. For instance, you can have a nondescript street, and all of a sudden you find a béguinage, or a nice Art Deco house just around the corner. This place could certainly use more promotion. Take the Erasmus House in Anderlecht: it’s a real jewel, a bit out of the way, an oasis of quiet in the big city. But how many people know about it?”

In addition to his native German, Hauschild speaks fluent English and French, and has started learning Dutch. “Yes, I have a weekly lesson, but I have taken advantage of the summer break to take daily intensive classes,” he says. “When you know German, it’s not too difficult to learn. Besides, I’ve always had an affinity with the language since working with Gerard Mortier.”

Ever keen to spread the cultural word, Hauschild has his own blog. “It makes information more transparent and more personal than what you’ll find in the newspaper. It’s also a great way to reach younger people who read you on their smartphone: they don’t get the info they want from this season’s brochure, but from the site. And I’ve had some positive reactions from Brussels, Belgium and beyond.”

ulrichbozar.wordpress.com

This article was first published in Newcomer Magazine, September 2013