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ACTUAL

All about politics, policy, society and how those things relate to culture and art.

Gaudeamus organises seminar on music criticism

Tonight begins the international Gaudeamus Music Week, in which five composers under 30 compete for the coveted Gaudeamus Music Prize. The jury, consisting of Vanessa Lann, Oscar Bianchi and Wim Henderickx selected them from eighty entrants from all over the world. It is the fourth edition in Utrecht of the competition, which started in 1951 in Bilthoven; the new TivoliVredenburg serves as the festival centre.... 

Proven: theatre-goers seek intellectual satisfaction and hardly ever read reviews

Drama reviews mainly fill a need among artists and journalists. Newspaper readers hardly use them. In London, this has been studied. Only 36 per cent of theatre-goers say they read reviews. Much more value fans place on tips from friends and family. Last Saturday at Amsterdam's De Balie debate centre, there was a discussion between theatre-makers,... 

'Grandiose' opening Theatre Festival doesn't quite take away the pain

"Grand opening, right?" Jeffrey Meulman, the man who as director of the ailing Theatre Festival gave the word "inspired" a new dimension, was delighted. It was Thursday night, September 4, 2014. Shortly before, I had seriously considered jumping from the 1st balcony of the Stadsschouwburg, rather than applauding Tauerbach, the opening performance of The Theatre Festival. It is... 

The Ballet Orchestra

Holland Symfonia is now THE Ballet Orchestra. National and Dutch at the same time

On the phone, it takes some getting used to. 'Good morning, Holland Symfonia speaking,' you hear as you listen to the orchestra in the Amsterdam Q-factory studios calls. But that's not the orchestra's name at all. In fact, Holland Symfonia has a new name: The Ballet Orchestra.

Debating reviews is pointless. Readers are perfectly capable of judging for themselves.

Art has rapidly become unimportant. Artists have been effectively dismissed by populists as subsidy-addicted scum. Media leaves no opportunity to downplay the consequences of the cuts that followed. Putin is about to bring a third world war to Europe. In Amsterdam on Saturday, September 6, three of the Netherlands' last daily newspaper critics talk to artists about... 

Praise the arts, my soul! #Paradisode debate mostly confession of faith, but there is hope

"Art is about personal development. It's not that Friday afternoon fiddling". Barbara Visser, artist and board member of the new Academy of Arts had an argument that was factual, and can be summarised briefly. We can attribute all sorts of things to art, but let's especially not. Learning about and experimenting with taste and creativity... 

The future is not fixed. 7 solutions to the arts crisis.

By Melle Daamen 'What do you want then?' was a question I received quite often in response to my articles last year in NRC, in which I expressed my concerns about the state of the arts in the Netherlands and especially its future. I argued for a fundamental debate from within the arts sector itself, focusing on the future, including... 

Melle Daamen on @culturepress: 6 reasons why the arts debate in the Netherlands is so laborious.

I published two articles in NRC Handelsblad last year. The first (6 July 2013) was critical of government policy. There was little reaction to this. The second article (7 December 2013) was critical of the arts sector: it needs to make its own sharp choices. That did cause a stir, although I am convinced that many colleagues largely agree with the content... 

A mirror from the bench: 12 much-needed lessons for cultural marketers

Since the Amsterdam Uitmarkt is no longer run by the Uitburo but by a separate foundation, things have become a tad more commercial. The folder-fair-with-bands that has become the national opening of the cultural season over the past decades has to. The government has found art scary for a while now, usual suspects are pulling out as sponsors, and malaise is hitting... 

8 essential lessons Dutch theatres can learn from festivals - and vice versa

Declining visitor numbers, shrinking subsidies, impoverished programming: most Dutch theatres are struggling, research by NRC Handelsblad recently showed. Theatres welcomed 12 million visitors in 2012, according to NRC figures, a quarter less than in 2008. Festivals, on the other hand, are on the rise. More and more are being organised, and they are attracting more and more people - in total... 

8 million for talent development, but 4 tough problems remain

Culture minister Jet Bussemaker can again make up for the cultural devastation caused by her predecessor Halbe Zijlstra. As promised earlier, money will be freed up for talent development. This was a demand of the chamber and a wish of the country. Are we happy? Of course. Although happy, there are also a few things that remain troublesome. [Tweet "1 Develop... 

Culture Council debates only with like-minded people.

Update: Meanwhile, the Culture Council has picked up the gauntlet. Melle Daamen posted his pieces on Culture Press, and Joop Daalmeijer has agreed to give a comprehensive interview. More news soon, then. 'Melle is a member of the Supervisory Board. You have nothing to do with that. So that's why NRC anyway?' Dixit Joop Daalmeijer, the man who since he became chairman there... 

Symphony orchestra seeks name. All suggestions are welcome.

Suddenly they are gone: the Dutch Symphony Orchestra's twitter account and facebook page. Searching for the new ***** name also yields nothing. Must have something to do with all sorts of lawsuits. But if you type in nederlandssymfonieorkest.nl, you happily end up at symfonieorkest.nl. Incidentally, if you type in orkestvanhetoosten.nl, that's also where you end up.

ZIGGO and UPC must dock. Writers' mega win over cable companies

We reported on it earlier. Because it was too crazy for words. Cable companies refused to pay writers since 2012. They did pay broadcasters, producers and men in suits like that with a BMW out front, but not writers. And neither did journalists. While a large part of those clubs' billions in profits comes from the very makers of the... 

Joop van den Ende sets high bar for Dutch Billy's

In various studios around the country, for almost a year, many boys took dance classes at the Billy Elliot sCOOL to qualify for one of the most coveted roles on the dance stage: Billy Elliot. Eventually, these participants were brought together for lessons at Stage Entertainment's beautiful new building at Zuidas in Amsterdam. Under the watchful eye of admirer Joop van den Ende, six young dancers were eventually selected by professionals from England, among others. Vanafrom 4 November in Scheveningen in the compelling ballet musical Billy Elliot with music by Elton John.

Newspapers kick in massive 'research' into more expensive cultural outings.

This is startling. On Friday, De Volkskrant reported that prices for cultural activities in Amsterdam have risen by a whopping 37.3% since 2009. Nu.nl picks it up immediately, soon followed by TROS Radar. Then it must be true. The news taken over unquestioningly by everyone refers to a report on the BBC site. That post... 

Main lesson from Benjamin Zander: enjoyment of the game is the key to success.

I had promised to check out a session with Benjamin Zander. Me as a non-expert, together with someone who finds classical music downright soporific. To see if Zander works, as he promises to work: "Everyone loves classical music, they just don't know it yet". The man is in the Netherlands and that doesn't happen very often. Not for very long... 

Legendarische dirigent Benjamin Zander in Scheveningen: “Dit heb ik nog nooit gedaan.”

Met 6,4 miljoen views op TED ben je iemand. En Benjamin Zander is dus enorm iemand, want een klassieke dirigent die dat voor elkaar krijgt: dat maak je niet vaak mee. Sinds dat legendarische optreden is Zander dus ook inhuurbaar spreker. En schrijver van een boekje. [bol_product_links block_id=”bol_53f85f2c62b17_selected-products” products=”1001004001757262,1000004001281876,1001004010676431″ name=”zander” sub_id=”” link_color=”003399″ subtitle_color=”000000″ pricetype_color=”000000″ price_color=”CC3300″ deliverytime_color=”009900″ background_color=”FFFFFF” border_color=”D2D2D2″ width=”250″ cols=”1″… 

The world's most beautiful artist foyer is in the Zuiderstrand Theatre

So the building is a bit redundant, well considered. After years of drawing, tug-of-war and plans for a new venue complex in the city centre of The Hague, local politicians blew off the Spui Forum earlier this year. Now, I'm sure there will have been all kinds of criticisms of that building plan, but the consequences of the lokalos blowing it off are not... 

Sparkling Candide at Canal Festival

The 300-strong audience stood up as one after Leonard Bernstein's infectious performance of Candide at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam last night. The performance of this 'pocket version' of Bernstein's cheerful musical/opera about the incorrigible optimist Candide, produced by the Nationale Reisopera, took place indoors, in the hotel's ballroom, due to the weather conditions. After all, the Grachtenfestival has to be... 

Audio is het nieuwe video. 10 voelbare redenen waarom je ‘Oh die zee’ mee moet maken

Het levende bewijs is te zien vlak voor het je van de sokken rijdt, of voor je ogen onder een bus terechtkomt: mensen met een koptelefoon op in het verkeer bevinden zich niet op hetzelfde fietspad als waar jij rijdt. Zelfs niet in hetzelfde universum. Ook al zijn hun ogen open. We hebben zelf niet door hoe effectief geluid is… 

Paul Ruven only rents himself a venue

Leedvermaak is iets prachtig en diep menselijks. Regisseur, scenarist en filmproducent Paul Ruven – bekend van de ene Neerlandse filmkraker na de andere, zo noemen wij Het Bombardement – kreeg onlangs een imposante bak kritische stront over zich heengestort naar aanleiding van zijn nieuwe baksel De Overgave. Zó veel, dat de Amsterdamse bioscopen zich er niet aan wilden branden.

Toch laat Ruven zich niet kisten.

Hoe moet het nu verder met Rotterdam? 5 redenen waarom Simons het moeilijk krijgt

De grote theatermaker Johan Simons heeft laten weten dat hij naar Rotterdam wil komen, om een groot Europees theater op te zetten. Hij ziet zijn kans schoon nu er over twee jaar een plek vrijkomt in de artistieke leiding van het stadsgezelschap van de Maasstad, het ro theater. Wanneer ze Simons aanstellen, kan er groots gedacht worden, zegt Simons. En… 

Johan Simons to Ruhr, Rotterdam, Den Bosch, Vienna, Ghent. And Varik.

He is the greatest director in the Netherlands. But also the least honourable theatre-maker we know: Johan Simons. The man whose star has been rising since the 1980s is now in Munich. But he is not staying there. After putting the local company Kammerspiele even more firmly on the map internationally, he is looking for new challenges. Den Bosch earlier reported... 

Sneaking around the museum. When it's closed. It can.

This is rather fantastic. The Tate Museum in London offers the opportunity to wander the halls at night, in the dark. To view everything on your own time. By controlling robots from your couch. Viewing artworks online in museums has been possible for a long time. We have the Google Art Project, we have our own Rijksmuseum that... 

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