Dutch Composers' Day
Dive into the very best new music across the Netherlands on Dutch Composers' Day. With 150 events in 15 cities across the country, you're bound to find something in your neighbourhood. There's even a musical train ride!
What is Dutch Composers' Day (Dag van de Componist)?
Every year, New Music NOW puts together this incredible festival to celebrate and promote the work of the best contemporary composers working in the Netherlands. The day is comprised of various events, from concerts to tours to workshops, and many are free to attend.
The motivation behind the event is to showcase the huge amount of talent in the country, as well as to highlight the value of the arts. In order to bring music to new audiences, all kinds of places get used as venues for the concerts: churches, concert halls, the open-air, train stations and even a train itself!
Which cities are involved?
There are concerts and events happening in Amsterdam, Almere, Amersfoort, Arnhem, Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Groningen, Maastricht, Muiden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Tilburg, Utrecht and Zwolle, so really in every part of the country!
The organisers have appointed city composers for Amsterdam, Almere, Arnhem, Den Bosch, Utrecht and Zwolle, who have been commissioned to write an anthem for their city. These will be performed at a free concert in the main train station of the relevant city, which will also co-incide with the arrival of the New Music NOW Express train.
The anthems are all about celebrating the different locations and so are performed in collaboration with various groups from the community, such as choirs and music schools.
Photo credit: Foppe Schut
Some highlight events of Dutch Composer's Day 2024
The opening event of Dutch Composers' Day will be held in Amsterdam Central station at 8.30am, on the IJ Boulevard. It features the world premier of a new piece of music by Anne-Maartje Lemereis, the Dutch composer laureate, and the newly written city anthem. It also marks the departure of the New Music NOW Express train.
At the Den Bosch station concert, the first holder of the children's Composer Laureate will be announced. The appointee will be a child themselves, aged between 10 and 17, and they will be be mentored by the current Composer Laureate to produce three pieces over the next year to be played at various festivals.
TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht is the heart of the day, with performances, talks, radio and a live stream from the Pandora studio and foyer. At 8pm there will be a mini-opera about Rosalind Franklin, the pioneer who helped discover the shape of DNA but was not allowed to share in the Nobel Prize awarded to Watson and Crick for the achievement.
This is followed at 9pm by a big concert, with many special guest musicians and ensembles, which will be recorded for radio and television.
Photo credit: Foppe Schut
New Music NOW Express train
The festival also features the remarkable New Music NOW Express train. This unique train will have different musicians playing in each compartment, and there will also be concerts at each station that it calls at.
It will depart from Amsterdam and call at Almere, Zwolle, Arnhem, Den Bosch before finishing its journey in Utrecht, where travellers can disembark for the finale concert at TivoliVredenburg. Drinks are included in the ticket price, and other refreshments will be available to buy on board.
You can buy a day-ticket for the whole 10-hour trip, including the TivoliVredenburg concert, for 80 euros, or for any individual leg of the journey for 24 euros. The concerts at the station are free for anyone to join, whether on the train or not.
Tickets and line-up
There are over 500 musicians taking part in Dutch Composers' Day so you'll need to take a look at the New Music NOW website to find out the full line-up and which pieces look interesting to you.
Many pieces are free, and those that do require you to buy tickets tend to cost between 10 and 15 euros. Some free events do still require a reservation, but this is made clear on the event page.
Thumb image: Michiel Spijkers