The Song Project

Dates

13 March 2026

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Foyer

Running time

1:15, no interval

Tickets

€ 12,50

Grafische vormen met de tekst: The Song Project

Platform for young talent

The Song Project is an initiative by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra that offers young composers and singers a platform to present new and existing music. In this third edition, composition students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam will work with singers from the Dutch National Opera Academy on the theme of the Spanish song repertoire.

Composition tailored to the voice

The concept is simple: the composers take an existing song, create a new arrangement for it, and also take it as the inspiration for entirely new composition. During the process, they receive coaching by musicians from the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and by former Composer Laureate Willem Jeths. They meet ‘their’ singer early on in the project, giving them the opportunity to tailor their composition to the particular vocalist.

This year, the musicians will work on songs from the Spanish repertoire, offering a rare opportunity in the Low Countries to discover works by Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz, Joaquín Turina and Fernando Obradors.

Performance information

Composers from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Izak de Dreu
Noura Hodhodi
Björn Pinxter
Emilia Trojer

Soloists from the Dutch National Opera Academy
Maura Wesseling (soprano)
Madeline Lee (mezzo-soprano)
Cathal McCabe (tenor)
Salvador Simao (tenor)

Ensemble Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Bas Treub, violin
Laura Oomens, violin
Liselot Blomaard, viola
Jan Bastiaan Neven, cello
Lucho Arias Polanco, double bass
Leon Berendse, flute
Juan Esteban Mendoza Bisogni, oboe
Rick Huls, clarinet
Margreet Bongers, bassoon
Wouter Brouwer, horn
Nanno Russo, percussion
Pau Hernández Alenyar, piano

Programme*

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Siete canciones populares españolas: 4. Jota (arr. Izak de Dreu)
Do you know? – Izak de Dreu
For tenor and ensemble

Siete canciones populares españolas: 3. Asturiana (arr. Björn Pinxter)
For mezzo-soprano and ensemble

El Amor brujo: Pantomime and Ritual Fire Dance (1915)
For piano and string quintet

Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909)
Seis baladas: 5. Moriró!! (arr. Noura Hodhodi)
Treatise on Love – Noura Hodhodi
For mezzo-soprano and ensemble

Joaquín Turina (1882–1949)
Poema en forma de canciones: 3. Cantares (arr. Björn Pinxter)
Más unidos en la ausencia – Björn Pinxter
For soprano and ensemble

Fernando Obradors (1897–1945)
Corazón, ¿por qué pasáis? (arr. Emilia Trojer)
Fereš – Emilia Trojer
For tenor and ensemble

Combined with new compositions by composers from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

* Running order to be announced.