a season in focus - thank you!
The last notes have been played and the lights have dimmed; our season is over! A year full of concerts, jam sessions, world premieres, collaborations and lots and lots of music lies behind us. Time to reflect on what we made possible together thanks to friends, sponsors and other involved music lovers.
With your support we realized new programs, space for young talent, inspiring encounters and projects that otherwise would not have gotten off the ground. On this page we give an overview of what sounded with your support in our halls, studios and foyers.
a new space for the future
At the beginning of the season, we festively opened our seven new studios on the first floor of our building. Each space has its own function, and one of these is the Doelen Kids Corner: the place for education and children's programs in the Doelen.
The realization of this studio was made possible by the support of sponsors, friends and other stakeholders. Almost a third of the cost was financed by donations. Thanks to this support, we were able to fully furnish the space: from walls, doors and lighting to a fresh and playful decoration to suit the young visitors.
the studio lives
Last season, the Kids Corner was in full use. For instance, there was something to do every day in every school holiday. In total, more than 350 children participated in various workshops in which they discovered music, sound and creativity.
Some built their own instrument or went “sound searching” through the building with a recorder. On other days, kids learned to make beats on an iPad or saw how sound becomes visible in water and sand at Waveformers. They tinkered, laughed, danced and made music, alone or together, and always under the guidance of enthusiastic workshop leaders.
SKVR also ran weekly courses in the space: from toddler music to choir singing for teenagers. In this way, the Kids Corner became a place where young Rotterdammers could unleash their imagination and take their first musical steps.
The Kids Corner shows what we can achieve together: an open, playful space for new ideas and young makers.
Children's Music Week
It is now impossible to imagine our calendar without the Children's Music Week. This annual programme for the youngest generation was also made possible this season thanks to donations. Together with partners SKVR, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rotterdam Youth Symphony Orchestra, we realised a varied programme for children of all ages.
This year's theme: dreams. From dreamy music to texts depicting what you do not yet dare to hope for. The kick-off took place in the Great Hall, where 150 children performed the piece “The Star Orchestra” together with musicians from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
The following day, the Jurriaanse Zaal filled up for the Children's Orchestra Day. There were also workshops such as trying out instruments, singing with ZangExpress, learning to compose, and SKVR's instrument parade.
With programmes like these, we don't just bring children to de Doelen, but above all we bring them into contact with the magic of music. Together with our partners, we work to make music accessible to all children in the city.
a stage for talent, together with the city
A significant part of the contributions received continued to benefit talent development this season. This support allowed us to invest in programmes for makers at the beginning of their careers, from first steps on stage to professional development.
Many of these projects are done in collaboration with partners in the city. With Codarts, with whom we literally share a roof, we organise the monthly Talent Break: lunch concerts with students of the classical course. With the Batavier House, three editions of the Batavier House Jam took place, in which jazz talent was given the stage and then others could join in. In the corner of R&B, funk and urban, the Monday Night Jam sounded some 20 times, and with production house Flow we worked together around hip-hop, spoken word and everything in between.
Our partners know the field and guide young makers. We offer the stage, visibility and network of a large concert hall. It is precisely in this cooperation that the power lies - for talent, for music and for the city. In this way, we give talent the chance to grow and we ensure that the public comes into contact with new voices, forms and styles.
Talent development also had an important role within our own programme, to which a significant part of the support received benefited. Throughout the season, we presented new faces in classical, jazz and pop.
Laetitia Gerards, for instance, together with the ADAM Quartet and pianist Ramon van Engelenhoven, explored the border between classical and pop, with a programme that featured Ravel alongside Elvis Costello. Violinist Randall Goosby enchanted the audience with his open and convincing playing, giving a spotlight to forgotten composers such as Florence Price alongside Mozart.
During their album presentation, the Rotterdam-based Peter Somuah Group performed an energetic ode to Ghanaian highlife, in which tradition and innovation merged effortlessly. The Sun-Mi Hong Quintet told a rich and personal story in jazz form, rooted in various rhythmic influences. And within the pop programme, new voices sounded like Judith Agaath, who opened up a personal musical world with her debut, and BARTH., who managed to touch the Eduard Flipse Zaal with subtle instrumentation and subdued vocals.
acoustic research in the Grote Zaal
The Grote Zaal has been known for its excellent acoustics for classical music since 1966. With amplified sound such as vocals, electric guitars or electronics, we sometimes run into limits. To make the hall more widely usable, thanks to donations we had consultancy firm Peutz do a thorough study. They identified the bottlenecks and made proposals to make the hall even more versatile.
new art in De Doelen
Last season, the art collection in de Doelen was expanded with three new works in the public areas of the building. Two murals and a textile work, created by Anuli Croon, Sandim Mendes and Christine Rusche, now add colour, character and rhythm to places where visitors and makers gather daily. The realisation of these works was made possible thanks to contributions from several Rotterdam funds, donations from the business community and support from the Target Support Fund.
The existing collection consisted mainly of reconstruction art by male artists from the 1960s and 1970s. With these additions, there will be more room for works by contemporary as well as female artists with a connection to the city. The artworks have now become a permanent part of the building, on display in the Willem Burger Foyer, the Eduard Flipse Foyer and at the entrance to the Great Hall.
From Dust: groundbreaking opera
Finally, we would like to tell you about Michel van der Aa's special project From Dust: an immersive VR opera installation in which, as a visitor, you yourself became part of the story. Using AI, music, film and virtual reality, a poetic and technologically advanced experience about loss, memory and identity was created.
From Dust had its world premiere in de Doelen and came about partly thanks to contributions from donations. The project was awarded the prize for Best Immersive Work at the Cannes Film Festival. The international jury praised the work as a creation that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, artistic space and audience contact. As co-producer and venue of the premiere, we are proud to have been able to give this innovative project a home, and to continue investing in groundbreaking works that explore and shape the future of music through the support of our supporters.