Rockhouse Schallmoos
Salzburg & contemporary music

The Rockhaus is Salzburg's best-known venue for contemporary music.

Salzburg is famous for its historic Altstadt city centre, its magnificent architecture, Mozart and "The Sound of Music"; and the tourism industry of Austria is very keen on maintaining these images and mixing them together: a blend of some sort of music-theme Disneyland. Is there any space left for contemporary music in Salzburg?

There is, in fact, there is quite a musical scene beyond classic and orchestral music. The centre of this scene is the Rockhouse Schallmoos, an institution that aims to add high-quality international and local contemporary music to Salzburg. It is located at the Schallmooser Hauptstraße, an extension of the Linzergasse leading to the outskirts of Salzburg.

The Rockhouse was founded in 1993. Since then, an average of 200 events took place per year. These come down to 5 per week, of which 3.5 were concerts, many of them by young, local bands. Every year, the Rockhouse attracts 100 000 visitors, mostly from Salzburg and surroundings, but possibly also some tourists seeking to escape from the Mozart-mania.

Contemporary music in Salzburg

The repertoire focuses on Jazz, Rock, Pop, Folk, Blues, Metal, Punk, Crossover, Underground, Avant-garde and most recently contemporary music. Beyond the concerts, the Rockhouse also rents out rooms for private events and provides facilities for local bands to rehearse.

The Rockhouse considers itself to be a contribution to "live culture" in Salzburg. It seems to be quite successful: the events are on average booked by 90 percent. This shows how much need there is for contemporary culture in Salzburg that is not sacrificed for more tourism-friendly institutions.

In first instance, the Rockhouse is used by people from Salzburg. For international visitors, it can be a great night out beyond the typical Salzburg attractions and a good opportunity to see that there actually is a life beyond Mozart in Salzburg. The events schedule is normally published in local newspaper and available online.

Salzburg for Individualists

Links

http://www.rockhouse.at/rockhouse.htm
Official website - opens in new window


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