Musicians' society Splendor has survived the corona crisis so far, despite the fact that the two halls could not be used, rehearsal rooms fell and the bar could not open. Mattijs van der Woerd, baritone, talks about it in our podcast/video. How is it possible, such a small concert hall standing so strong? The secret, which also keeps Culture Press afloat, and which this month also The New York Times noted: a small but very dedicated group of members is the new model in times of lockdown. And afterwards. They keep the venue afloat and enable the musicians to keep going.
On Monday 1 June, the halls reopen, and like everywhere else in the Netherlands, only for a small audience that must be one-and-a-half metres apart, not allowed to drink anything and not allowed to go to the toilet either. It won't be much of a party yet, this relay of fifteen-minute concerts, but for musicians like Mattijs that's only a minor problem in the big celebration of being allowed to play again.
Only this does not apply to Mattijs himself: he is a singer and his talent has been declared epidemiologically risky. So he is retraining himself. One of the side effects of COVID-19 not seen by all.
Listen to his story:
Or see when you have time:
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