Red Bull Music Academy 2011 will be held in Madrid, Spain
The Red Bull Music Academy building will become a permanent cultural hub at one of Europe’s leading spaces for contemporary creation – the Matadero Madrid.
The event time slot will stay the same, it will be held from October 23 to November 25, 2011.
Applications are extended until April 26, 2011 (date of postmark).
Set in one of the most remarkable industrial architecture sites of early 20th century Madrid, the industrial complex is currently being transformed into the Spanish capital’s biggest centre for contemporary creation.
The Red Bull Music Academy – to be held from October 23 to November 25, 2011 – will lay the foundation for musical activities at Matadero Madrid. Through their collaboration with the City Council’s Department of the Arts, it is ensured that the Academy space will live on as a cultural hub – and that the music won’t stop in years to come. This unique opportunity will also allow for a new level of set-up and design at the studios built for the Academy 2011.
Matadero Madrid aims to foster an integral approach to culture and to become a vibrant laboratory for the development of new cross-disciplinary projects in performing & visual arts, design, music, dance, architecture, urban planning, landscape design, fashion, literature, cinema, and thought.
Photo by Sofia Menendez
While RBMA are happy to announce that they have found an extraordinary location for this year’s edition of the Red Bull Music Academy, they would also like to emphasize again how difficult the decision was not to hold the Academy main event in Japan.
Setting up an Academy is a year-long process of establishing links with local artists and cultural institutions, creating a dedicated local team of about 100 people, securing international lecturers, dealing with authorities regarding permissions, booking nights in conjunction with local promoters, as well as building studios and refurbishing a building as an inspirational space.
Although the kick off date is set for October, our work on the Tokyo edition started back in April 2010, and the most crucial phase for all of the above is now. When the terrible events of March 11 struck in North East Japan, we had to make a decision about a potential relocation as soon as possible, and it quickly became apparent that going forward with these plans in Tokyo right now would not be possible.
Furthermore, we received a lot of cancellations from people who had already applied. The same goes for artists who were requested to lecture and perform in Tokyo. These are the people who make the event what it is, and we had to respect their current concerns.
“Our involvement in and contribution to the musical landscape in Japan will not stop. To the contrary, we will build on the strong networks and close ties that have evolved throughout the process of preparing the Academy. We will continue to host workshops, gigs, Red Bull Music Academy Radio sessions and festival stages as was done at SónarSound Tokyo, as well as setting up international showcases for Japanese culture: in Madrid and beyond.”
Red Bull Music Academy Madrid 2011
Workshop 1: October 23 – November 4, 2011
Workshop 2: November 13 – November 25, 2011
Application period extended – New deadline: April 26 (date of postmark)
