The future is now

In our society, youth often symbolises the future. But that future starts right here and now, with the opportunities today’s youngsters get to grow up in the best circumstances and become truly themselves. As Season’s Thinker we chose Children's Rights Commissioner Caroline Vrijens. She and her team work tirelessly to promote the rights and opportunities of children and adolescents. During the coming season, we will focus on numerous themes proposed by the Children's Rights Commissioner.

Thanks to Season’s Photographer Antoine Grenez, Bruges youngsters adorn this season’s brochure. In various workshops, he and they worked together to create the inspiring series of images that form the basis for an exhibition at the beginning of the season. The youngsters also present their own visual installation. The opening festival ‘Generatie aan zet‘ (Zoomers) puts Generation Z in the spotlight, with projects created both by and together with youngsters. It celebrates their creativity and artistry, but we also get to see their doubts and concerns and hear some of their beliefs and hopes.

Searching for and finding one's own identity is central to the Raise your voice festival: discovering one's own voice, raising that voice and rebelling, the voice breaking as a symbol of overall physical and mental maturation…All of this has inspired a festival in which we present new creations. The female voice is central: from the Dead Ladies Show Marathon, to concerts by baritone Lucia Lucas and sopranos Claron McFadden and Sofia Jernberg.

A new social-artistic project by Tina Reynaert gives a voice to the children and adolescents in the Bruges refugee reception centre. ‘In our society, youth often symbolises the future. But that future starts right here and now, with the opportunities today’s youngsters get to grow up in the best circumstances and become truly themselves.’

Ungrievable lives, by composer Charlotte Bray, reflects on the tragedy of the countless children on the run who didn’t make it, the victims of the 2015 refugee crisis. An installation by Caroline Burraway, created using children’s life jackets, hammers this message home. This is just one of the projects this season that refer to the different circumstances and different aspects of growing up. Others range from young works by classical music prodigies to a danced bildungsroman by Nathan Ooms & Anna Franziska Jager.

A coming-of-age eye-catcher is the Sidhe Collective’s ritual project Becoming. In our individualised society, Sidhe create new rituals to accompany moments of transition. For this season’s phase of life, they focus on the transition to adulthood. Via discussion circles, they develop a contemporary rite of passage based on age-old traditions.

Subthemes lend themselves to side steps: initiation rituals are also found in Freemasonry. That is the reason for Temple Talk, a weekend event about Freemasonry, featuring the Masonic music of Mozart and other composers and an extensive context programme that even includes a visit to the local Masonic Temple.

Last season we focussed on Winter, this season it is the turn of Spring. Spring is a time of growth: brimming with energy, life bursts forth.

In the Spring is in the air festival, iconic works such Le Sacre du printemps sit alongside the age-old music traditions of India, Persia and Ireland. Young curators are given the keys to the house for their own happening and we put two of our Makers in the spotlight: Michiel Vandevelde and Tom De Cock.

The Makers Formula focusses on mid-career artists who are transitioning from small-scale to large-scale works and projects, from performer to maker, from musician to conductor... Catalina Vicens completes her Makers trajectory, while Femke Ghyselinck, Anna Danilevskaia and Aïda Gabriels are at the start of their Concertgebouw residency. Aida Gabriels is the first director we have chosen. She presents a new Muziektheater Transparant production and surprises us with a creation for the SLOW(36h) festival. Yes, after three years – we take our time – the festival of slowness is back. This season we focus on masters of slowness, on breathing and walking, on trance and on deep listening.

With the Bach Academy, December Dance and Budapest Festival you can rest assured: this season there is again no lack of top international festivals. We look forward to new Bach-inspired creations and dance, to the current cream of the contemporary dance crop, and to Ivan Fischer’s wonderful Mahler symphonies. More orchestral brilliance is guaranteed from the three leading orchestras in our international Close Connections partnership. As in every Concertgebouw season, big names will invariably be linked with up-and-coming international talents. You will hear vocal stars such as Anne-Sofie von Otter or Magdalena Kožena alongside Caroline Shaw, for instance, or the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra together with Sheku Kanneh-Mason. The UK’s energetic Aurora Orchestra will feature the inspiring music and playing of Abel Selaocoe.

The Concertgebouw's focus on deep listening has given birth to a happening of the same name, to the presentation of sound installations, to unique experiences such as CLUB Surround and to great attention being given to audience participation and development: from listening tips in programme booklets to online stories about the five Masterpieces.

Behind the scenes, a wonderful project has been set up in collaboration with the artists of Wit.h. This partner strives for a culture of equality and respect for ‘outsider’ artists. Sound artist Hans Beckers and a Wit.h artist and are engaged in a two-year collaboration. They will present a joint installation in our 25-26 season.

‘Spring is a time of growth: brimming with energy, life bursts forth.’ In the spring our years of effort in the field of participation were summarised and compiled in a new publication, which is also available online. We meanwhile continue to persevere on a programme that removes barriers and connects a diversity of people.

With the return of success numbers such as Acoustic Power and Iedereen Klassiek, alongside a number of new projects, we continue our mission of inclusion. I would like to draw your attention to Belletje Trak (Bell Tracking) a Concertgebouw and Cera joint project that strives to foster a sense of neighbourliness and community whilst also encouraging young producers of electronic music. Enthusiastic local volunteers record the sound of doorbells and other unique noises from their neighbourhood and then, led by coach Dijf Sanders, a few up-and-coming producers process these recordings into that neighbourhood’s exclusive soundtrack. Such projects help everyone to grow during the coming season, because in the Concertgebouw every note is a story, every step a dance, and every experience a memory that connects and inspires. Let us together build a season that stimulates the senses, expands the mind and warms the heart.

This season is also a time of growth and change for me personally. After 21 years I am leaving the Concertgebouw to start a new adventure. It was a great honour for me to be able to write an extensive chapter of the Concertgebouw story as Artistic Director. Great thanks and credit to the many colleagues, artists and partners who accompanied me on that journey. Many thanks also to you, our audience. I wish you many more moments of intense emotion, inspiration and connection in this beautiful Concertgebouw, starting with this coming season!

— Jeroen Vanacker, Artistic Director