Sa 05/04/2025 11.00

Big Bang Festival

Musical Adventures for Young Audiences

© Paul Stambera

Laughter, singing and musical hullabaloo: you can hear it from afar when the Festspielhaus opens its doors again for the BIG BANG FESTIVAL. Once again this year, we are looking forward to the sound of music and exciting sounds from all corners and corridors, to listening and discovering new things - in short: to a colorful mixture of musical adventures. And once again, you can explore to your heart's content: From top to bottom, from back to front, from the stage to the foyer, the Belgian Zonzo Compagnie creates a musical labyrinth in the Festspielhaus. The Tonkünstler Orchestra is also taking part this time with the magical ciné-concert Orchestrascope. Awarded the prestigious EFFE prize for European arts festivals, the Zonzo Compagnie delights children and adults from Canada to Estonia. With its innovative format, it sends curious people of all ages on a colorful journey through a varied program of concerts, performances and sound installations. A day full of surprises, amazement and music!

Concerts to listen to and marvel at, programs to participate in and sound artworks to discover for yourself

Programme at a glance

From 11.00 to 17.00 at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten

ORCHESTRASCOPE

ZONZO Compagnie (BE) . Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich (AT) . Victor Jacob (FR)
© Caroline Doutre

Concert/projection Let's go on a journey back into film history! The video artist Erato Tzavara and the musician Filipe Raposo present selected silent films with newly composed music, played live by Raposo on the piano, the Tonkünstler Orchester and the multi-instrumentalist Rémi Decker. The interplay of image and sound transforms the films into a fascinating spectacle.

Location: Großer Saal
Duration: 50 minutes

BANKSY-BEATS – TANZ DEINEN SOUND!

Daniel Herzmanek (AT) . Katharina Holzweber (AT) . Thomas Nagl (AT)
© Paul Stambera

Dance/live music/projection Whether Banksy, Kahlo or Picasso: become an artist yourself and paint your own sound artwork with your movements! Your turns, jumps and gestures conjure up colorful shapes and animations on a canvas and direct the sounds of the musicians according to your ideas.

Location: Probebühne 1 (Rehearsal stage 1)

PLAYGROUND

Toon Quanten (BE) . ZONZO Compagnie (BE)
© Krew Collective

Sound art-piece Discover an interactive playing field that is full of surprises! Each tile has a different height and structure - every step or jump conjures up new sounds and exciting effects. Listen and feel - the playground is waiting for you! 

Location: Foyer/Ground floor

KLASSE STIMMEN

Schüler:innen der Grillparzer Volksschule (AT) . Paul Griffiths (UK) . Gerald Huber-Weiderbauer (AT) . Christoph Richter (AT)
© Karolina Maruszak

Concert At Klasse Stimmen, professional musicians meet children from St. Pölten to make and compose music together. Paul Griffiths, musician and composer, not only brings his electric guitar to the Festspielhaus St. Pölten, but also lots of cool beats from jazz, funk and rock.

Location: Foyer/Ground floor
Duration: 15 minutes

TRÄUMEN, LAUSCHEN, FÜHLEN

KinderKunstLabor für zeitgenössische Kunst (AT)
© Karolina Maruszak

Sound-Laboratory You can relax in the Traumraum (dream room) of the KinderKunstLabor. If you like, you can close your eyes, listen to different sounds and be inspired by a variety of materials to create your own compositions.

Location: Foyer/2nd floor

ICHI (JP)

© Ichi

Concert The artist Ichi from Japan plays on very special instruments that he invented and built himself – such as a balloon flute or percussion shoes. At his concerts, he also makes music with everyday objects such as a typewriter or toys, creating a show full of fun and surprises! 

Location: Hinterbühne
Duration: 30 minutes

GERÄUSCHTEPPICH

Christine Schörkhuber (AT)
© Krew Collective

Sound artwork Hidden under the Klangteppich (sound carpet) by artist Christine Schörkhuber are pressure sensors for various special sound objects. If you walk, feel or roll over the carpet, you can discover how the various objects are set in motion and produce sounds – without any amplifiers and with minimal power consumption!

Location: Foyer/3rd floor

KLANG.RAUM.ORCHESTER

Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich (AT)
© Paul Stambera

Audiowalk Immerse yourself in the exciting world of symphonic sound! Walk through the virtual orchestra with headphones and smartphone, listen carefully and discover the many different instruments.

Location: Pleyel Foyer

DANSCONCERT #1 - TORNADO

tout petit (BE)
© Laure-Anne Iserief

Dance/live music Four musicians and three dancers whirl across the stage and create a small tornado. But this dance concert is more than just a performance: the whirlwind is so intoxicating that it's impossible to sit still: You can dance and twirl along as you please!

Location: Kleiner Saal
Duration: 35 minutes

TIP Get your ticket at the information desk!

BIG BIKE ORCHESTRA (PL)

© Anna Łukaszewicz

Concert Have you ever experienced music on wheels? While the six musicians of the Big Bike Orchestra ride on a specially built six-seater bike, they simultaneously play pop-folk songs that catch your ear. An extraordinary show in which music and movement become one!

Location: Forecourt
Duration: 15 minutes

KID’S RAVE

DJ Nora Anna (AT)
© Laure-Anne Iserief

Party  Grab your parents, grandparents, friends or whoever you want and conquer the dance floor together!

Location: Hinterbühne (Backstage)
Duration: 50 minutes

MUSIC ROOMS

Lieselot De Wilde (BE) & Ensembles (AT)
© Paul Stambera

Mini-concerts Let young artists take you on a journey to their musical roots! In three mini-concerts, selected ensembles will present their personal ‘Songs with Roots’ under the guidance of music coach Lieselot De Wilde. The performances are part of an international BIG BANG project that aims to build a global archive of folk music.

Location: Kleiner Saal, Hinterbühne (Backstage)
Duration: 15 minutes per concert

PNEUMAPHONES

Logos Foundation (BE)
© Dries Segers

Sound artwork Music to sit on! You can sit, lie, roll or rock on the large yellow cushions - and make music yourself! Your movements set air in motion, which flows through tubes to special sound machines. Each machine has its own voice, like a flute, an organ or even the sound of a membrane.

Location: Probebühne 2 (Rehearsal stage 2) 

FESTIVALREPORTER:INNEN

Niederösterreichische Nachrichten (AT)
© Paul Stambera

Workshop In short workshops, professionals will show you how to write your own reports and record your impressions of the festival – which will then even appear on the NÖN website!

Location: Foyer/Ground floor

The programme brochure

Browse through the BIG BANG programme

Zonzo Compagnie production 
In cooperation with Jeunesse, City of St. Pölten, Festspielhaus St. Pölten

What the first BIG BANG Festival was like

Impressions from the first edition 2024

Weitere Termine

Sponsors and partners

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