The American George Gershwin is one of composer and pianist Rembrandt Frerichs’s greatest inspirations. Like a bolt from the blue, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for piano and jazz band burst onto the European music scene nearly a century ago. And to this day, the work continues to resonate. Anyone who has ever heard the piercing clarinet solo that opens this popular piano concerto will never forget it. A hundred years later, we set out to find today’s Dutch Gershwin.

Michael Gieler, artistic director of Music Stages: ‘Rembrandt is a wonderful artist, versatile and inventive. We’ve asked him and three young Dutch composers to follow in Gershwin’s footsteps and write a new piece that bridges the gap between jazz and classical music. They’ll have a fantastic group of musicians at their disposal for the performance. Full swing guaranteed!’

The vibrant Amsterdam-Zuidoost district boasts a rich musical culture unlike any other: from gospel to Ghanaian highlife music. For more than ten years, Music Stages has been organizing the Bijlmer Klassiek series in the district and is expanding this series with special events, where the audience is surprised time and again with spectacular crossover concerts. In this crossover concert, “Homage to Zuidoost,” musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will collaborate with the “Dutch Queen of Soul” Shirma Rouse, the popular ZO! Gospel Choir, and the multi-talented Berima Amo.

The program naturally features upbeat gospel songs, but the choir also embraces crossover with classical music and will perform, among other pieces, the magnificent Ave Verum by Mozart. There is a long-standing collaboration with Berima Amo, the world-class Dutch-Ghanaian singer, trumpeter, and composer, who will present his first composition featuring soloist Shirma Rouse and the ZO! Gospel Choir.  This work draws on influences from both the Ghanaian vocal tradition and elements of gospel, bringing classical music and gospel together in a fresh way.

With thanks to the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Performing Arts Fund, Zabawas, and the Amsterdam Zuidoost District. Bijlmer Klassiek is a co-production of Music Stages and the Bijlmer Parktheater; the IJ-Salon is a co-production of Music Stages and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ.

In the fall of 2019, musicians from the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the legendary band FraFra Sound came together for the first time in search of new musical adventures.

The result was a spectacular program featuring classical and modern pieces, all of which are in some way related to composers from Suriname and the Caribbean. The starting point was Joseph Boulogne, Marquis de St. Georges, also known as the Black Mozart. He was a true rock star in Paris during Mozart’s time. In addition to his compositions, the musicians performed traditional Surinamese music, as well as compositions by Woiski Sr., Andro Biswane, and others.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re going to breathe new life into that project. The musicians are getting back together and picking up where they left off. For now, their new adventures will only be streamed. As soon as it’s possible, they’ll be performing live again.

Music Stages and the Rotary Club of Vinkeveen-Abcoude They are presenting a livestream concert together.

Classical musicians from the Concertgebouw Orchestra are collaborating with a charismatic Ghanaian trumpeter and composer, Berima Amo. They will meet for the first time at the Kazerne Reigersbos in Amsterdam Zuidoost for a series of workshops.
This benefit concert is the first of several concerts that will take place throughout 2021.

Donations are welcome:

Donations are more than welcome via geef.nl. The net proceeds from this concert will benefit a special water project in northern Kenya: www.wajir.org

The first program of the Bijlmer tour is a collaboration with Sydney Lowell, a spoken word artist from Southeast Amsterdam who is known for 'We the people'. The musicians of the Schoch Quartet will perform mysterious and moving string quartets by Beethoven and Smetana.

Beautiful music was composed by a strange, socially awkward man—a lonely outsider in a world that didn’t understand him: Franz Schubert. This classical piece is viewed through the lens of Planet AiRich, a brilliant young woman and a leading figure in Afrofuturism in the Netherlands.

Michael Gieler, artistic director of Music Stages: ‘Nowadays, everyone loves Schubert. It’s difficult to imagine that this genius was largely misunderstood during his much too short life, only just being propped up by friends who truly believed in him. Art is unpredictable. That's why we cherish the past in our programmes whilst continuing to invest in the music of the future.'

Yang Yang Cai, a rising star in the piano world, is central to this program. The young Dutch-Chinese pianist curated this program together with high-profile theatre director and dancer Sarada Sarita, who is very influential in current political and artistic movements.

Michael Gieler, artistic director of Music Stages: ‘Our starting point during this concert is a piece which is rarely, if ever, performed: The Djinns by César Franck, based on a poem by Victor Hugo. It is a mysterious and dark text, set to music with great subtlety by Franck. Extraordinary!’