Roger Kintopf CIPHER

Paviljoen Ongehoorde Muziek, usually shortened to POM, is a small workshop, stage and studio in Eindhoven devoted to music its makers call "unheard of". The name translates as Pavilion of Unheard Music, and the idea is taken fairly literally: music that is fresh, that comes into being on the spot, that has sat in a drawer for decades, or that comes from the new Dutch, the newcomers to the Netherlands whose work rarely reaches a stage. The place was started by the composer Bart van Dongen and sits at Ruysdaelbaan 106, with its entrance on the Kempensebaan. POM calls itself a place for research, development and discovery as much as a concert space. Composed and improvised music both get a hearing, played acoustically, semi acoustically or electronically. The programme can include solo performances, ensembles, premieres, interdisciplinary projects, resident artists and participatory workshops, and it has featured emerging as well as established composers and performers from a range of musical traditions. Because the room is compact, performers and listeners are close to each other, which suits music that asks for concentration. Van Dongen describes the audience as small but very interested and engaged, and the space as well equipped, with an open and inviting atmosphere. The other half of POM's identity is as a workbench. Young and emerging musicians, composers and makers can use it to experiment, rehearse, develop new material and present the results to the public. The stated aim is to build a climate of making, showing, stimulating, supporting and informing, which gives the venue a looser, more flexible role than a conventional concert hall. It has also opened its doors during Dutch Design Week, where it is described as a hidden lab for sound.