The Song Project

Dates

15 March 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Festival heart

Running time

1:15, no interval

Tickets

€ 12,50

Dutch National Opera Studio | Photo: Jan Willem Kaldenbach

Platform for young talents

The Song Project, an initiative from the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, gives young composers and singers a platform on which to present new and existing music. This is the second year that the Song Project features in the Opera Forward Festival. This year, composers from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam are collaborating with singers from Dutch National Opera Studio on the theme of the English song repertoire.

Tailored composition

The concept is simple: the composers take an existing song, produce a new arrangement and also come up with a brand-new composition inspired by it. They get help from the musicians of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and from former composer laureate of the Netherlands, Willem Jeths. They are introduced to ‘their’ singer early on in the project, giving them the opportunity to tailor their composition to that particular vocalist. The theme this year is the English song repertoire, with songs by composers including Frank Bridge, Gustav Holst and Ethel Smyth. In addition to the vocal works, the performance will include extracts from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet.

Performance information

Composers from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Mehmet İlhan Gazioğlu
Alexander Jansen
Jeroen Leentjens
Björn Pinxter
Julian Tjon Sack Kie

Soloists from Dutch National Opera Studio
Leander Carlier (baritone)
Joe Chalmers (bass-baritone)
Sophia Hunt (soprano)
Steven van der Linden (tenor)
Martina Myskohlid (mezzo-soprano)

Ensemble from the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Bartosz Woroch, 1st violin
Olga Caceanova, 2nd violin
Berdien Vrijland, viola
Anastasia Feruleva, cello
Joaquín Clemente Riera, double bass
Léon Berendse, flute
Jeroen Soors, oboe
Guillermo Arnedo Frías, clarinet
Remko Edelaar, bassoon
Wouter Brouwer, horn
Diego Jaén García, percussion

Programme*

Sung by Martina Myskohlid:
On the Road, Ethel Smyth (arr. Mehmet İlhan Gazioğlu)
Song of Wounded, Mehmet İlhan Gazioğlu

Sung by Joe Chalmers:
It was a lover and his lass, Frederick Delius (arr. Alexander Jansen)
With a hey and a ho!, Alexander Jansen

Sung by Steven van der Linden:
Journey’s End, Gustav Holst (arr. Julian Tjon Sack Kie)
Soliloquies of the Unknown, Julian Tjon Sack Kie

Sung by Leander Carlier:
Come to me in my Dreams, Frank Bridge (arr. Björn Pinxter)
Come to me in my Dreams, Björn Pinxter

Sung by Sophia Hunt:
So we'll go no more a roving, Maude Valérie White (arr. Jeroen Leentjens)
By the Light of the Moon, Jeroen Leentjens

Additionally, parts 1 and 3 from Nonet by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor will be performed.

*The order of the programme has not yet been determined.

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Nederlands Kamerorkest in TivoliVredenburg

Photo: Anna van Kooij

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, led by master violinist Gordan Nikolić, is a small and intimate orchestra consisting of 25 to 45 musicians. It never fails to captivate its audience with electrifying ensemble playing. Along with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, it is the resident orchestra partner of the Dutch National Opera. In addition, the orchestra performs on renowned stages both in the Netherlands and internationally, with a varied repertoire ranging from baroque music to contemporary compositions.

The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1955 and has a rich history full of highlights. Since its merger with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985, it has certainly not lost its unique identity. The dynamic among the orchestra members is particularly special. The orchestra usually performs without a conductor, relying entirely on mutual trust, and that chemistry is palpable during a concert.