The Johan Wagenaar Prize 2026 has been awarded to composer Calliope Tsoupaki. This prestigious lifetime‑achievement award will be presented on 16 October 2026 during a concert by the Residentie Orkest at Amare in The Hague. The programme will also feature two works by Tsoupaki. The Johan Wagenaar Prize is regarded…

Festival Dag in de Branding is The Hague’s festival for new music. The festival is organised by the Johan Wagenaar Foundation (JWS) in collaboration with various partners in The Hague (including the Residentie Orkest, Amare, Korzo Theater, Royal Conservatoire, Het Nationale Theater and PAARD). Three times a year, the festival…

Composer Willem Jeths already had two piano concertos to his name: his First Piano Concerto from 1994 and his Second, Fas/Nefas, from 1997. Over the past year he worked on number three. Scorching Passions is the title of the new piece, which he dedicated to soloist Ellen Corver. On 2…

The Italian clarinetist Michele Mazzini is what you might call a musical jack‑of‑all‑trades. Classically trained, yet now equally at home in contemporary repertoire, jazz and improvised music. He is also active as a composer and as a member of the music‑theatre ensemble Oorkaan. As guest curator of the 76th edition…

Classically trained double bassist. Singer. A master’s degree in live electronics. Orchestral musician and founder of the new‑music ensemble T R O M P O. “Kaleidoscopic” is almost an understatement for the résumé of the American‑Dutch artist Laura Nygren. Since 2020, the different facets of her musicianship have come together…

They met at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam: the members of INNEC, a quartet that has been exploring the boundaries between jazz, free improvisation and new music for the past two years. During Dag in de Branding, the foursome will perform a set on the staircase of Amare, featuring material from…

Photo by: Wouter le Duc Clarinetist and interdisciplinary maker Michele Mazzini is the guest curator of this edition, which revolves around CONTRASTS. The Residentie Orkest combines a new piano concerto by Willem Jeths with Stravinsky’s Sacre du Printemps, and at the other locations we also go from one extreme to…

We dive into the fascinating world of composer, sound artist and performer Evelien van den Broek (aka Leafsheep). She chose the theme PLAYFULNESS and gives it substance with verve, with performances by Neo-Fanfare 9×13, the Spaceship Ensemble and a performance by composer Huba de Graaf who “dances from her own…

The Ragazze Quartet will perform Memories of Trees on Saturday afternoon at Korzo. First violinist Rosa Arnold shares her thoughts.  Do you still see a tree in your own violin?   “I think of my violin as wood that continues to live. Wood has its own sound, it resonates. There’s a…

Composer Max Knigge wrote Eliza May for the Residentie Orkest, which will premiere on Friday evening, October 10th, at Amare.  Max, who is Eliza May?   “Eliza May Drayden is the central character in the novel ‘het lied van ooievaar en dromedaris’ by Anjet Daanje. She’s inspired by Emily Brontë, the…