A new MUMUTH building by UNStudio will be opened in Graz

On March 1, 2009, a new building of MUMUTH (House for Music and Music Theater) will be officially opened in Graz, the theater building of the University of Music and Performing Arts (KUG). On this occasion, the Institute for Music Drama will perform W. A. Mozart's opera The Magic Flute.
Since 1963, MUMUTH has been an important building for rehearsals and performances by students. The new building was designed by architect Ben van Berkel of the Dutch firm UNStudio, following a win in an international competition with 212 entries. The design was also presented at the Austrian exhibition of this year's Venice Biennale. According to Ben van Berkel, his aim over the entire 10 years during which the building's design developed was to "create a building that expresses music as much as possible".
The construction of the building itself, with a budget of 19 million EUR, began in March 2006, and its main part was completed and handed over in August 2008. Even during this February, the building hosted part of the international music competition "Franz Schubert and Modern Music".