Foundation stone laid at renovated Ancienne Belgique concert hall
Flemish minister president and Culture minister Jan Jambon laid the foundation stone of the revamped Ancienne Belgique (AB) concert hall in Brussels on Wednesday. He was joined by AB general director Tom Bonte. The renovation and refurbishment should be completed by the end of 2025.
The Flemish Community is investing 5 million euros in the renovation of the concert hall to create a meeting place, accessible daytime activities and better facilities for people with disabilities. An adapted lift will be installed, as will the new AB Café with a roof terrace.
"Through this renovation, the AB will continue to grow and transform into an open house where every music lover is welcome and where there is something to do at any time of day," said Jambon, of Flemish nationalists N-VA. "The AB is already a temple of music and will become even more of a meeting place with great social value."
© BELGA VIDEO TIMON RAMBOER
"AB is mainly known as a venue where you come to see a concert in the evening, but we also want to become a place where people can come and have a coffee during the day or eat a soup," Bonte said.
Bonte is working on a master plan for the future of the concert hall alongside the renovation of the AB wing in Rue des Pierres. He said the halls and spaces around them need to be improved for better artist operation and reception, among other things. "A good master plan can help us identify what steps the AB still needs to take in the next 10 or 20 years to optimise operations further."
The AB is one of seven Flemish arts organisations. These are organisations that occupy a sustainable, leading position within the field, have a structural link with the Flemish Community and have been recognised by the Flemish government. The others are Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Brugge, deSingel in Antwerp, and Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Ghent.
#FlandersNewsService | AB general director Tom Bonte and Flemish minister president Jan Jambon © BELGA PHOTO TIMON RAMBOER
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