Hortus Festival
Music will resound in beautiful orangeries and conservatories of botanical gardens in cities across the Netherlands.
This year's Hortus Festival will be the 15th edition of the greenest summer festival in the Netherlands, meanwhile, all the participating gardens will be presenting the most astounding trees and plants from their collection, with special attention for the endangered and forgotten species.
Classical music in botanic gardens
The Hortus Festival takes place each year in the botanical gardens in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Leiden and Wageningen. Forming a bridge between nature and music, the month-long programme invites the public to enjoy a series of classical performances in various locations in the gardens.
Founded by William Raaijman in 2003, the festival has grown to be a popular event known for inspiring performances with an intimate atmosphere. Already in their 15th edition of the festival, the theme for 2018 is death! The Hortus Festival programme features classical works that explore the theme of death, such as Mahler's Kindertotenlieder and Schubert's Death and the Maiden.
With many performances selling out, be sure to check their site and order tickets in advance! There are even free mini-concerts in Leiden, Amsterdam and Wageningen.
Hortus Festival performers
Here are some of the performers involved:
- Gwyneth Wentink
- Ragazze Quartet
- Berlage Saxophone Quartet
- Hortusensemble
- Cora Burggraaf
- Jussi Lehtipuu
- Keiko Chichijo
- Bobby Mitchell
- Maarten van Veen
Hortus Festival venues
- Leiden | Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Rapenburg 73, 2311 GJ, Leiden
- Amsterdam | Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, Plantage Middenlaan 2, 1018 DD, Amsterdam
- Utrecht | Oud Hortus, Lange Nieuwstraat 106, 3512PN Utrecht
- Wageningen | Belmonte Arboretum, Generaal Foulkesweg 94-A, 6703 DS, Wageningen
- Rotterdam | Swedish Church, Parklaan 5, 3016, Rotterdam
Don't forget to book your tickets
Hortus Festival tickets range from 21,50 to 27,50 for a standard adult ticket and 10 euros to 15 euros for children under 15 years old.
Photo credit: Anne Meyer (header image), Christine van Blitterswijk (image 2 and 3) All images courtey of the Hortus Festival