STAGE TUBE: Inside the Igloo of the Ice Orchestra

Ice Music is a celebration of the winter spirit of Swedish Lapland - a new art form where the musicians play on instruments made of ice - ICEstruments. Sounds unbelievable, but it's happening. Step into the concert hall a gigantic cosmic igloo. The orchestra glows and pulsates in all the colours of the rainbow. Be swept away by the crisp, rich and energetic sound - the voice of ice. We invite you to experience the magic of Ice Music with us in Luleå, Swedish Lapland - Sweden's northernmost destination. Check out an inside look below!

With an constant indoor temperature of about ca -5 C (23 F) not depending of outdoor temperature, you need warm winter clothes to best enjoy the experience. The ICE concert hall is constructed in a special way to give the good acoustics and best environment for the delicate ICEstruments, with ventilation to let the audience warm breath out so it will not rise the temperature. It's situated at Gültzauudden a nature park about 15 minutes walking distance from Luleå Luleå city center selection of hotels and restaurants and it fits 200 people in descending rows with the stage in between and can also be rented for private concerts and weddings.

The ICE orchestra contains of following ICEstruments; violin, viola, cello, contrabass, banjo, mandolin, guitar, drums, xylophone and rolandophone - a percussion instrument looking like a gigantic pan flute.

The Ice Music project in Luleå is initiated by the founder Tim Linhart, working as an ice artist since 30 years, who builds all the ICEstruments himself at home in his garden. Building the ICEstruments is a delicate craftsmanship that requires great patience and also the right cold temperature, so that the ice will have the right elasticity and be possible to sculpt without breaking.

The ICEstruments are very fragile and need to be handled carefully by the musicians tuning and playing on them. For example the ICEviolin usually hung in ropes from the ceiling for a safety reason and it's thickness, down to only 3 mm in some parts, needs a special plastic protection shield to prevent the musicians warm breath from making a hole in the body of the ICEstrument.
The ICEconcert hall at Gültzauudden in Luleå will give concerts of various genres suitable for all tastes; classic, pop/rock, folk and more. Every weekend from mid January through to to last weekend of March. Book and buy tickets at our web site or at www.ticnet.se, House of Culture (Kulturens Hus) in Luleå or on our website, where you will also find the updated concert program: www.icemusic.se

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