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Orchestra war escalates: Enschede's star orchestra has to hand in instruments

Seizure of the instruments of the former Netherlands Symphony Orchestra is imminent. The orchestra, which, since a lost legal battle with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is no longer allowed to use the word 'Dutch', so is not allowed to sell instruments or take them abroad. Pending a countermove from the former Orchestra of the East, they changed the name there to ***** Symphony Orchestra.

Breaking: Rotterdam art fair changes name for fear of trousers factory

You can still eat a raw egg in English, but you can no longer use the word RAW for almost anything to do with style. Therefore, the RAW Art Fair is to be renamed next year. Sources at the organisers of the Rotterdam Art Week Art Fair confirm that this may have avoided a dragging court case.

Video: 3 times swearing and ranting for the good cause and Heleen Mees

Because Writers Unlimited collaborates with one of the last literary magazines in the Netherlands, and because that magazine is called 'Tirade', the last festival in The Hague included a place for tirades. And what might those be? The online dictionary says: 

Artists' acquittal: March of Civilisation was civilised after all

Police cracked down on the March of Civilisation on 27 June 2011 in The Hague. The demonstration against art cuts, which was controversial because of its rather elitist naming, ended with a few charges by the ME on artists. Their friendly sit-in thereby degenerated into something that opponents of all those elitist subsidy slimmers (according to Martin Bosma of the PVV) were only too happy to see: violence.

In 1935, the Pieten were black, or were they white after all?

We had still so decided not to say anything about the Black Peters Discussion. But still. Whoever is right, and whatever has been said, written and fantasised about it historically, we now have images. In those images, from 1935, we see Sinterklaas (a starring role by the famous actor and director Eduard Verkade) (thanks Peter van Bokhorst for the info), surrounded by men in some kind of noble costume, on horseback. We thought for a moment

Suddenly controversial photo project on Sotchi gets alternative opening in Moscow

The photo documentary made by photographer Rob Hornstra on the preparations for the Sotchi Olympics will be shown in Moscow after all. At least we hope so, now that after an earlier sudden cancellation a venue has been found at the Sakharov House in Moscow. Next Friday, Dutch fans can watch the opening from Amsterdam's Stadsschouwburg (bring your own beer) attend. Unless

Hospitality and art: not a natural marriage

The Amsterdam City Theatre is looking for a manager for its restaurant. Happens more often, but this time it is news. You see, the Amsterdam City Theatre has a place to reclaim. On the restaurant. When that restaurant opened a few years ago after a major renovation of the 19th-century building on Leidseplein, the Stadsschouwburg had suddenly become sort of untraceable.

Bookseller continues to discourage ebooks

Did we report here earlier how the patriotic booksellers are doing their best to bring you to haunt the gates of hell if you 'purchase' an ebook, the reading itself also turns out to be a minefield. One of our followers recently purchased an ebook from the largest online bookseller in the Netherlands (at least until That club from America entered). Her brand new Kobo reader however, proved to be no match for this book. Whereas with all other digital books the device effortlessly refreshed the epaper, turning a page in the book took ''Forgive us' by A.M. Homes well over half an hour, and that was a bit too much slow reading for this lady.

BPP Kaputt (4): 1.7 million available for international performing arts promotion: who has plans?

The Performing Arts Fund is taking over the international promotion of the performing arts from the Performing Arts Promotion Office, which will soon be disbanded for lack of funds due to mismanagement. The fund will continue to do so until 1 June 2014. In the meantime, they are looking for a new party there to take over. Also, the programme through which important visitors from abroad can be invited will be... 

Money: the biggest threat to our cultural heritage

Update: According to the Filmkrant, it's not all that bad: http://www.filmkrant.nl/nieuws_2013/9842

It was announced today that a large archive containing almost all raw film material from the Netherlands in the shredder threatens to disappear. Since film laboratory Cineco is bankrupt due to the vanished demand for oldskool celluloid, the vault containing unique historical material must also go. Unless someone comes forward who wants to store the material. And that costs quite a bit of money. Even though we no longer work with the highly flammable nitrate films, all that plastic must be kept safe.

Bureau Promotie Podiumkunsten kaputt (2): how 3 per cent turned into 3 x 33 per cent

The Performing Arts Promotion Office which will be disbanded from 1 October, has not fallen victim to cultural cuts or the economic crisis. The Stichting Promotie Theater- en Concertbezoek (SPTC), the BPP's backer, has turned off the money tap for other, unclear reasons.

Music school @uckutrecht spots trend: parents invest more in music education

Despite the crisis, parents invest eagerly and heavily in their offspring's musical development. This is the finding of the Utrecht Centre for the Arts (UCK). Their talent development programmes are running well. "Parents are now more consciously choosing to spend money on this than ever before. They also come along to lessons more often and let their children start at an increasingly younger age," says cello teacher Floris Dercksen.

Saving Tropenmuseum paid for from art acquisition budget

The Tropenmuseum has been saved, we already knew that, but the House of Representatives still wanted to know where that was paid from. After all: the government is not going to spend more money, we have to do that. Anyway. Culture minister Jet Bussemaker's answer to the parliamentary questions shows that museums will be able to spend 5.5 million less on art purchases in 2016 at least.... 

Ech Uterech tour of the Cetraol Stetion and Hoog Ketrijne #callofthemall

"Let's move on people! I would like to introduce you to Frans van Montfoort. One of the very first buskers in old Hoog Catharijne and almost a living statue." Guide Ton van den Berg, today in the guise of his alter ego Koos Marsman, slaps Van Montfoort on the shoulder. "Good to see you again boy."

Russian flowers and Beatrix @HollandFestival

Holland Festival Holland Festival

Gorgeous dresses, big sunglasses and high heels. It is clear that the performance by the famous Moscow theatre company Theatre of Nations also attracted a large Russian audience. Men in suits occasionally talking to their sleeves seem to testify to Russian billionaires present. But nothing could be further from the truth when suddenly Princess Beatrix steps into the auditorium with her entourage. 

Photo: Anne Bonthuis

Exhibit B confronts with probing glimpses @hollandfestival

Holland Festival Holland Festival

A sociable group of ladies who came in laughing and chatting, leave the room bewildered and tearful. Upset, embarrassed, this is how I see all visitors coming out. What is difficult to describe in words is written on their faces. Exhibit B by Brett Bailey is more than impressive. It is an exhibition that confronts and touches.

Chilean IK generation seeks revolutionary art at @hollandfestival

Holland Festival Holland Festival

Six actors, four years in a bunker. One is dead. Those are the details we have to make do with in Tratando de hacer una obra que cambie el mundo. According to this title, the actors are trying to create a play that will change the world. The characters have locked themselves away in an underground bunker and receive occasional provisions via a packet.

Photo: Jurgen Koopmanschap

First children's book ambassador @jacques_vriens on the breach for reading pleasure: 'Frighteningly few Dutch children enjoy reading'

Since two months, the successful children's book author Jacques Vriens can call himself the first Children's Book Ambassador of the Netherlands. For much longer, he has been doing all he can to increase children's reading pleasure. International research shows that only ten percent of Dutch children really enjoy reading. That is shockingly little.'

Peter Blok does a Don Draper

Tjitske Reidinga, our favourite actress, who is in the middle of her golden years, is coming up with a new summer comedy: 'An Ideal Woman'. The blonde who theatre people have known for a long time, but ordinary people only got to know through the TV series Gooise Vrouwen, gets to decide what she does at the New Delamartheatre for three years, and so she is now going for Mad Men.... 

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