Solidarity with the arts industry

All is silent in the Concertgebouw ... We press the pause button on those magical encounters between artists and audience, and call for solidarity.

The corona virus hits the arts industry hard. For many arts organisations, this economic damage comes on top of the recent cuts in Flemish cultural subsidies. Once more, the artist himself, and the freelance cultural worker is affected the most.

At the moment, the impact on the Concertgebouw is still unclear; and yet we heed the call of supporting the artists. The Concertgebouw calls on its audience not to ask for a refund of cancelled tickets, in solidarity with the artists. The financial resources thus retained will be fully invested by the Concertgebouw in the artists most affected by job losses.

We realise that these resources will not be sufficient. They can only be seen as a gesture to compensate for the loss of income of artists and arts organisations, in addition to more substantial government support. As such, the Concertgebouw endorses the call of employers' organisation oKo for a Corona Disaster Fund.

The Concertgebouw sends everyone loads of courage in this unprecedented period, and looks forward to a virus-free time with our halls and backstage brimming once again with activity!