Musical journey from Berlin to Broadway, from classical to jazz
This surprising concert transports the listener to the music of Kurt Weill and his contemporaries, blending classical music, jazz, and cabaret, from Berlin to Hollywood and Broadway, featuring lyricists like Bertold Brecht, Ogden Nash, and Maxwell Anderson. Featuring beloved classics like "Alabama Song," "September Song," "Lost in the Stars," and Charlie Chaplin's nostalgic "Smile. The composers of these songs came from turbulent times, when some were forced to flee persecution and emigrate in search of a better life.
The Hague String Trio (Justyna Briefjes, Julia Dinerstein, and Miriam Kirby) will perform, featuring singer Lucy Woodward, double bassist and arranger Marijn van Prooijen, and drummer Vinsent Planjer. Annechien Koerselman will stage the concert, and Nina Kraszewska will be in charge as soundengineer. Lucy Woodward has previously worked with Rod Stewart and Snarky Puppy, among others, and performed with numerous international jazz ensembles. The Hague String Trio recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and is known for its multi-layered interplay and acclaimed CDs. Marijn van Prooijen and Vinsent Planjer bring their rich backgrounds in classical, world music, and jazz to the mix, creating a moving and virtuoso ensemble.
Photo © De Schaapjesfabriek
Credits Cast & Crew
Prepublicity
Den Haag CS, Frans van Hilten, January 15, 2026
'Lost in the Stars' honors composers in exile.
The various musicians gathered songs, and stage director Annechien Koerselman combined them into a six-part story, exploring themes such as war, threat, and hope. Each part consists of spoken word and several songs.
Annechien Koerselman drew inspiration from Art Deco in the design. "For example, by placing gold-colored lamps at different heights and a number of bar stools on the stage."
imaginative musical theater about feelings of homesickness and making weatherproof plans for the future (6+)
The water is rising and fast as well. Janna and her parents have to leave their country. Packed and ready, they step into the boat that will take them to the other side, to a new life. But to her horror, Janna discovers that her rabbit Marietje is not on board. Without even thinking, she jumps back onto land. And so begins a musical search across her native land for her beloved bunny. Across places from the past, via miraculous encounters with a woodworm, a herring king and a lighthouse keeper's cat, until after a dive she finally ends up with Marietje in the land of the future.
With a lot of humor and a touch of Alice in Wonderland, Ensemble Black Pencil, together with actress Yara Alink, brings the history of Schokland musically to life. Once an island in the Zuiderzee, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Shockwave is an imaginative musical theater performance about what happens when the climate becomes so confused that you are forced to leave everything behind. About saying goodbye to the old and making weatherproof plans for the future. About the power of imagination and the magic of music, which can tame waves, raise landscapes to the sky, and package beautiful memories in such a way that you can never lose them.
Photo © Claudia Hansen
Credits Cast & Crew
Video © Kees Jongboom
Reviews
De Theaterkrant, Sander Janssens, February 24, 2025
With threatening sighing sounds and squeaking whistles, music collective Black Pencil immediately blows a storm over the stage. Beautifully dissonant sounds are pressed from an accordion, brushing wind carries away from the sound box of a violin.
The main strength of this small, three-quarters of an hour show is in the interaction between the clear, down-to-earth acting of Alink, and the five musicians on the stage. Her parents are sad-left alone on the boat – can be heard in the comfort of the violin playing and the deep, familiar sounds of the accordion. Janna's inner turmoil, sways in the nervous percussion.
Entire worlds [are] evoked: from a fish dance in a mysterious underwater world to the posh mayoral village of Middelbuurt, where stately organ-like sounds from the accordion evoke the expensive houses and large churches.
Hanna van der Woude, September 26, 2024
An ode to the childish imagination
Tragicomic Music theatre about the question how to stand your ground in an increasingly complex world
While the Nazis are sharpening their knives in the background, Charlotte Salomon's life begins to shake to its foundations for a completely different reason, when her grandfather reveals that she has been lied to by her family all these years. Her mother does not appear to have died of the flu, but committed suicide, as did a whole series of other family members. Overwhelmed by this news, 22-year-old Charlotte begins a quest. With the help of her mentor Amadeus Daberlohn, she tries to fathom what is true and what is not.
She begins to paint feverishly to create order in the chaos in her head and to reshape her life. But is that possible? Or is Charlotte's fate already sealed? She creates more than 700 gouaches (watercolour paintings) with images, texts and fragments of music. She calls the work Leben? Oder Theater? - Ein Singespiel [Life? or Theatre].
Vocal quintet Wishful Singing and the young energetic ensemble But What About present a tragicomic music theatre performance based on the true story of Charlotte Salomon. Her colourful visual history of more than 700 paintings and texts comes to life theatrically thanks to Steven Kamperman's multicoloured composition that conjures up both Charlotte's moving cries from the heart and the lively Berlin of the thirties, and the equally dynamic and humorous staging by Annechien Koerselman in which Charlotte leaves no stone unturned to get to the bottom of things. All this against the threatening sounds of a rapidly changing society.
The powerful performance Charlotte Salomon celebrates the life and work of Charlotte Salomon and tells the moving story of a young woman who manages to stand her ground despite challenging circumstances in an increasingly complex world. It is also a tribute to her work, which is still of great significance.
“ I have a task, and no power on earth can stop me from accomplishing it.” - Charlotte Salomon
Photo © Juri Hiensch
Credits Cast & Crew
Reviews
De Volkskrant, Maartje Stokkers, September 28, 2025
The September Me Festival has a wonderful premiere with the opera about the life of Charlotte Salomon!
A clever move by librettist and director Annechien Koerselman is the setting of a family constellation.
And that last part is what gives the performance its air. The musicians all navigate the narrow space between laughter and tears with virtuosity.
Charlotte Salomon – Life? or Theatre? is highly recommended.
Nederlands Dagblad, Margaretha Coornstra, October 03, 2025
Trailer © Bowie Verschuuren i.c.w. Stella Brüggen / Music © Steven Kamperman
Familly concert
Imagine a brightly-lit stage: there appear the Pulcinelli, two clever Italian tricksters, who constantly face new challenges. Something strange is happening today as well. The sun hasn't risen yet. Luckily, the Pulcinelli are quick-witted, and always find a way to get themselves out of any situation. But for that, they need the help of the musicians and the audience…
The music of Igor Stravinsky amazes everyone: cheeky violins, dancing trumpets, and melodies that sound ancient at first and then suddenly take a dramatic turn. A concert full of surprises, joyful play, and music that invites young and old to join in.
Schilderij © Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
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Queen of Tango
Since Máxima's famous tear to the melancholic strains of Astor Piazzolla's Adios Nonino, Piazzolla's music captivated the entire Dutch population overnight. Now, 25 years later, his renowned tango opera MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES is finally being performed again in the Netherlands. More relevant than ever, and in a brand-new format! The Netherlands Saxophone Octet was the first Dutch ensemble to receive the rights from Piazzolla's heirs to adapt the piece for eight saxophones, voice, text, bandoneon, piano, and percussion.
Alongside the eight saxophonists—also tango dancers—mezzo-soprano and crowd-favorite Karin Strobos shines as the combative Maria de Buenos Aires, baritone and opera hero Berend Eijkhout as her vigilant male counterpart, and Freek den Hartogh as the idealistic Duende. And what would an inspired tango opera be without the bandoneon and dance? Maria de Buenos Aires therefore features the Argentinian musicians Santiago Cimadevilla (bandoneon), Juan Pablo Dobal (piano), and Marcos Baggioni (percussion), both of whom have had success in the Netherlands. The tango duo Ezequiel Paludi & Geraldine Rojas also impresses with their equally passionate and graceful dancing.
Maria de Buenos Aires is a story full of emotion and melancholy, but above all, of courage, hope, and inspiration… For isn't living from inspiration the essence of our existence? The Duende rebels against the way the world works, with the rich getting richer and the poor struggling to make ends meet. Through Maria, he tries to touch the souls of these wealthy individuals, but they see only the lucrative potential of Maria's singing and tango talent. There seems to be no emotion. They seek to exploit the queen of tango purely for commercial purposes. And there, the Duende draws a line. He intervenes decisively, with all the consequences.
Photo © Aldo Sessa