Behind the scenes
Tivoli Copenhagen Phil
In the summer, classical music is best experienced in Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Copenhagen Phil is a symphony orchestra with around 70 permanent musicians, performing in Tivoli during the summer as part of the Summer Classical series. In the winter, the orchestra performs under the name Copenhagen Phil, serving as the regional orchestra for all of Zealand, with its base at the Royal Danish Academy of Music's concert hall on Rosenørns Allé.
The History of Classical Music in Tivoli Gardens
Classical music has been a core part of Tivoli Garden's DNA, and one of the park's most important entertainment offerings since its founding in 1843.
Tivoli’s founder, Georg Carstensen, quickly hired H.C. Lumbye to lead the music. Lumbye’s orchestra and compositions were immensely popular from the start, and the orchestra soon grew from 22 string players into a small symphony orchestra with 33 musicians.
The repertoire included the latest music from Vienna and Lumbye’s own compositions, but over time, full symphonies were also added to the program. After Lumbye’s death in 1874, new conductors with fresh ambitions took over. The orchestra's quality continued to rise, attracting exciting composers such as Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, who performed with the orchestra at the beginning of the new century.
During this period, the original concert hall became too small and unsuitable for the orchestra's concerts, prompting Tivoli to build a larger hall with seating for 1,500. However, it was destroyed by sabotage in 1944 and was replaced by the current, even larger Tivoli Concert Hall in 1956.
Tivoli Concert Hall
A Historic Setting for Music
Tivoli Concert Hall has approximately 1,800 seats and serves as the venue for a wide range of concerts, shows, and events each year. A significant portion of these events are organized by Tivoli itself, including the Summer Classical series.
From its founding in 1843, Tivoli had a concert hall—the space we now know as the Glass Hall. In 1902, a new and significantly larger concert hall opened its doors. Unfortunately, this concert hall was destroyed during sabotage in 1944 and was replaced in 1956 by the concert hall we know today, which was then the largest concert hall in Northern Europe, with around 1,800 seats.
Fund Support in 2024
SommerKlassisk was supported by the Augustinus Foundation, and The Stjernestunder Festival was supported by the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation. The William Demant Foundation, Knud Højgaard's Foundation, and the Erik and Susanna Olesen Charitable Foundation have sponsored free admission for guests to three Stjerneskud concerts.
