The Danish Game Turns 25: More scenes for Danish music
This week, Spil Dansk is sending Danish artists to stages across the country with music produced in Denmark. The anniversary marks 25 years of musical encounters and opportunities for more artists to reach new audiences. The Danish Artist Federation supports the effort.
By Julie Westh Nielsen
A concert at a nursing home. A songwriter visiting a school. A new musical acquaintance at the local cultural center.
When the Spil Dansk Uge takes place from October 26 to November 1, the music moves out to where people live their everyday lives. This year, there is also a special occasion to celebrate the initiative: Spil Dansk turns 25 years old!
”Music connects people in a very special way, and so much good music is created in Denmark that deserves to be heard by more people. Spil Dansk gives artists the opportunity to meet new audiences and at the same time opens the door to musical experiences that people might never have had otherwise. There are plenty of musical experiences to look forward to across the country this week, and together we can celebrate the Danish-produced music and celebrate Spil Dansk’s 25th anniversary by listening, experiencing, and sharing what we hear and see with everyone,”
says Brian Risberg Enggaard Clausen, known as the singer and songwriter Bryan Rice, deputy chairman of Spil Dansk and board member of the Danish Artist Association.
A path to new listeners
For the artists, Spil Dansk is an opportunity to meet an audience that might never have bought a ticket for their concert themselves. Through collaborations with municipalities and local cultural actors, Spil Dansk creates the framework for concerts, workshops, and other encounters between professional artists and citizens across the country.
This provides room to discover more of the Danish music scene, such as artists and genres outside the mainstream commercial sphere. The very opportunity to open more doors for music is worth celebrating in the anniversary year.
A common push for Danish music
The Danish Artist Federation supports Spil Dansk and was part of the ownership group when the initiative was organized as an independent association in 2014. The federation is also represented on the board of Spil Dansk by Bryan Rice, who is the second vice president.
Spil Dansk began in 2001 as a one-day event dedicated to Danish music and was expanded in 2015 to a full week. The music does not have to have Danish lyrics: The celebration includes Danish-produced music across languages and genres.
DR is also helping to mark the anniversary with pop-up concerts in six cities. Around the country, the celebration continues at schools, libraries, concert venues, and other local gathering places, where the music finds new listeners and perhaps leads some of them to their next musical favorite.
