INSIDE: MUBA • NEW KUNSTMUSEUM • CURLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP • JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVALS Volume 4 Issue 7 CHF 5 5 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel April 2016 The Colors and Scents of Spring R E S T O A F C A K D C E A M L Y B School pick-up and 1 9 5 6 drop-off at Basel Badische Bahnhof Quality Christian Schooling since 1956 Mulhouse D Kandern F Basel Zurich CH bfacademy.com 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, There is music in the air this month, with two fantastic music festivals— the Blues Festival Basel and Jazzfestival Basel—bringing dozens of world- April 2016 Volume 4 Issue 7 class musicians to our beautiful city on the Rhein. You can also stimulate your kids’ interest in music with a variety of concerts foR babies, kids, and TABLE OF CONTENTS families, or bring them to the Open House at the Musikschule Riehen, where they can try a variety of instruments. Feature Event: Blues Festival Basel 4 Just in time foR spring, the MUBA is on the calendar this month. Enjoy browsing the hundreds of vendors, pick out some new furniture foR your house or garden, buy some fashionable clothes or jewelry, try a new sport, Events in Basel: April 2016 6–9 or just indulge yourself in some of the delicious foods and wine—there is something foR everyone, including great childcare! If you are into arts and crafts, don’t miss the Creativa fair that runs in parallel to the MUBA, or the Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 10–11 international design exhibition Blickfang later this month, which will have you discovering the newest and most innovative trends in interior design, Inside Basel: Basel's Kunstmuseum 12–13 fashion, and jewelry. Looking forward to being outdoors? The nature market in Riehen will help you select the best plants, seeds, flowers, and acces- sories for your garden. Markets and Fairs 14–15 Basel’s Kunstmuseum (Fine Arts Museum) is finally (re-)opening this month, following a 14-month closure foR its expansion and Renovation. Turn the Calendar: April 2016 16–17 pages to learn more about the new building, opening-weekend events, and the upcoming special exhibitions. OtheR new exhibits to take in this month will have you travelling back in time with tin and enamel signs of yester- Sports and Recreation 18–21 year, as well as fashion and music of the 1920s. Feeling sporty? Enjoy the last days of skiing, give curling a try, get back on Workshops, Tours, and Education 22–24 your bike, join a rowing club, take a self-defense class, or get a team togeth- er and participate in Basel’s Relay race, QueR durch Basel. If you prefer to watch, you can take in the men’s curling world championship, an interna- Did you Know? 25 tional synchronized skating competition, or visit the martial arts expo. Do you need more reading material? You can get some great deals at a large Entertainment: Night on the Town 26–31 annual English second-hand book sale, or find out how you can take ad- vantage of the Basel public libraries’ new access to English digital media. The Entertainment section is also filled with ideas to help you plan your Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page perfect night out—in addition to great concerts in all musical genres, you can enjoy musicals, operas, ballet, dance events, theater, film, and plenty Mark Your Calendar: May 2016 back page of wine tastings, from the Basel Wine Market and Wine Ship to the open- house weekend at local wine cellars. Last but not least, be sure to check the “Where in Basel?” photo and see if you can tell us where it was taken foR a chance to win a pair of tickets to a Blues Festival Basel concert. Good Luck! C hristine Christine Pesold Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Basel Life Magazine Staff: Editor-in-Chief: COVER: Spring in Basel brings with it a pro- Christine Pesold fusion of colors and scents from the many differ- Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: ent seasonal flowers and trees all oveR town, Susanne Hiller both in parks and streets and in people’s private gardens. From the colorful tulips and daffodils Design & Print: (called “Osterglocken” [EasteR bells] in German), Schwabe AG to the bright yellow forsythia bushes and the For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: candle-like flowers on the chestnut trees in the parks and behind the Münster—bright colors and enticing scents are everywhere! Particularly striking are the blue to purple info basellife.com wisterias, called “Blauregen” (blue rain) in German, that are climbing up many facades. www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine Especially if you walk or drive along Feldbergstrasse in Kleinbasel, you see—and smell— www.basellife.com them in front of almost every building. It’s Basel’s Wisteria Lane! BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. photo credit: © susanne hiller April 2016 3 EventsFeature in Event Basel: February 2015 (continued) Blues Festival Basel April 5–10 It all started in March 2000, when Louis van der Haegen organized the first Blues Festival Basel to make this style of music a permanent fixture on the Basel music scene—and he has succeeded! The popularity of blues music in Basel is ever-growing, with audiences of all ages flocking to the increasing number of small and large venues inviting world-class blues artists to the Basel area. On its 10th anniversary, the Blues Festival Basel was officially recognized by the Blues Foundation Memphis, Tennessee, and the annually awarded Swiss Blues Award has become prestigious—not only in Switzerland, but also in the birthplace of blues music, where one award now sits in the Chicago living room of blues talent and Basel native Sam Burckhardt. Currently in its 17th year, the Blues Festival Basel for 6 days will feature international stars from the world of blues, as well as talent from the local blues scene. The Volkshaus in Kleinbasel is the perfect venue for this style of music with club-table seating in the fronT section, regular seating in the middle, and a standing-room area by the bar where drinks can be enjoyed throughout the concerts. The evening concerts start at 20:00, doors open at 19:00, and tickets can be purchased through Ticketcorner. Prices range from CHF 41.20 for standing-room tickets To CHF 71.80 for the best seats and CHF 91.90 for reserved-table seating with service. The themes and artists vary for each of the 6 days, with plenty of great blues to entertain the most die-hard fans. WWW.bluesbasel.ch April 5: Promo Blues Night April 8: Samantha Fish (USA) / Royal Southern The opening night of the Blues Festival Basel, which was originally Brotherhood (USA) called “Swiss Talent Blues Night,” has from its inception been dedi- Kansas City-born Samantha cated to the promotion of young talent. This evening gives young blues Fish had already developed bands from Switzerland, Alsace, and the southern Baden area the op- her own blues style by the portunity to present themselves and their music to a wider audience. A age of 18, winning Best New pre-festival competition determines which five bands can participate Artist Debut at the Blues on this evening, and the winner of the year’s Promo Blues Night will be Music Awards in 2012. She invited back the following year to open foR one of the main acts. This will be coming with her new year’s selected bands are Dögz, Cattlefood, BluesKidz, Electrified Soul, album “Wild Heart,” which and R. Major’s Power Blues Band. Entrance on this evening is free! immediately made it to the top of the Billboard Blues Charts. The band members of the main act, Royal Southern Brother- April 6: Ami Warning & Band (DE) / Philipp Fankhauser (CH) hood, have richly varied experience in the world of funk, blues, hard & Margie Evans (USA) Unplugged rock, and Reggae. Together, they blend their talents into a single, tight- Ami Warning grew up in the music ly focused form of the timeless Southern expression known as blues- scene, spending her youth writing poet- rock, and they play the living hell out of it! ry, playing bass guitar, and singing in her father’s reggae band. With her soul- ful yet fragile voice, she will move you, April 9: Pascal Geiser (CH) / The Sunnyland Slim Alumni articulating feelings and emotions that Band Feat. Liz Mandeville (CH/USA) we all experience. She will open the The winner of last year’s Blues Festival Basel’s Promo Blues Night evening foR the main act, well-known Award, Pascal Geiser, will impress you with his skill, blues authenticity, Swiss blues artist Philipp Fankhauser and charisma.