Western Romania: Former cinema hall in Cluj reopens as music hub

The former Steaua Roșie cinema in Cluj-Napoca will reopen as Edison-House of Music, a cultural hub dedicated to music and community, the organizers of the Jazz in the Park festival announced.

Built in the early 1900s, the Edison building became, after World War II, the Steaua Roșie cinema. After 1989, the venue underwent several changes in purpose, eventually falling into neglect.

Beginning October 17, it will host the Music Gallery, an art exhibition dedicated to music. Conceived as an interactive gallery, it offers visitors an immersive experience of what lies behind musical creation, with a focus on high-quality listening (Hi-Fi), music education, and understanding the cultural context of music. The curatorial foundation begins with jazz and its influences, while the format combines visual art, technology, and storytelling.

The 2025 exhibition theme, Jazz Around the World, explores the diversity and global impact of jazz. Visitors can embark on a journey from the genre’s birth to the defining moments of its evolution, tracing how jazz transformed across continents and how each culture made it its own.

The exhibition includes the installation Jazz Around the World, an interactive multimedia globe with 25 musical points where listeners can plug in your headphones and discover jazz from every corner of the world; a Vinyl Mediatheque; the Hall of Fame, a section dedicated to artists who defined the history of jazz; a Playroom, where the public can try-out various instruments; and a Listening Room, a sound-insulated room equipped with Hi-Fi systems.

A special project within the exhibition is Ora de Muzică (Music Class), dedicated to pupils who can join 50-minute guided tours, organized twice a week.

Music Gallery is a project created during the pandemic by the Jazz in the Park team as an alternative form of music education and exploration. Launched in 2023 in Cluj and Iași, where it attracted over 7,500 visitors, the exhibition was later showcased in special versions at Jazz in the Park and Jazz in the Park Competition.

The exhibition is produced by Fapte, organizer of Jazz in the Park, an association founded in Cluj-Napoca in 2012.

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