Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

 Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (English: "Music Building on the IJ") is Amsterdam, Netherlands' major concert hall for modern classical music. The structure, which completed in 2005, is located over the IJtunnel, a ten-minute walk from Amsterdam Central station. Danish architects 3XN designed the structure. The Bimhuis is connected to and part of the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ.

Before the Muziekgebouw, there existed the Muziekcentrum de IJsbreker on the Weesperzijde, which was closed and replaced with the Muziekgebouw. The venue, like the IJsbreker, concentrates on contemporary classical music, whilst the Biminis focuses on current jazz music. Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ contains a large concert area as well as a smaller one for conferences, talks, and exhibits. Concerts are often held in other parts of the structure, such as the atrium and the three big balconies above the restaurant. Installation and sound art exhibitions are frequently scheduled.

Every year, the World Minimal Music Festival and the Holland Festival are held at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. The venue hosts a monthly cross-over event called The Rest is Noise, which includes experimental pop music on the schedule.

Jan Wolff was the first primary and creative director (2005-2008); Tino Haenen has been the artistic director since June 2008. Haenen was previously the director of the Ars Musica contemporary music festival in Belgium. Boudewijn Berentsen has been the principal director since December 1, 2008, although Haenen has remained the artistic director. Maarten van Boven, formerly the vice-director of Paradiso, has been Haenen's successor since February 2012. 

IJsbreker was a pioneering organisation in the field of experimental music instruction for children. The education center, formerly known as the Klankspeeltuin ('Sound playground,' included a number of interactive sound pieces. Muziekgebouw maintained the IJsbreker's work with a freshly built collection and an intensive teaching programme for children and teens. There are around 400 workshops held there each year, making it the largest educational facility in Europe. The Klankspeeltuin is a venue filled with one-of-a-kind custom-built experimental musical instruments. Around 2016, the original collection grew obsolete and had several technological issues, so the team opted to update the whole collection and replace it with smaller hands-on instruments rather than interactive exhibits.

The organization also holds events on-site using this equipment. It also no longer focuses just on children and teens, but also offers more complicated multi-day seminars for adult people/students. For this project, they enlisted the help of a group of innovators to create a one-of-a-kind collection of experimental musical instruments for them. The Klankspeeltuin was renamed the Sound Lab in June 2017 and now houses 100 different instruments ranging from ethnic instruments from around the world to well-known odd instruments like the theremin and steel tongue drum to more unique designs by builders like Yuri Landman, Arvid Jense, Diane Verdonk, Dato Instruments, Makey Makey, and others. Anouk Diepenbroek is the Sound Lab's current director.