It appears that your browser has JavaScript disabled. The SecSign ID login requires your browser to be JavaScript enabled.SecSign Support

Please donate!

We invest in our journalism. We are independent. Thanks to donations from readers like you!

Donate

Choose a payment method

Would you like to share your details with us?

No Yes

Name

Name

First name

First name

Surname

Surname

E-mail (not compulsory)

Confirm E-mail (not mandatory)

If you are human, leave this field blank.

harm mannak

Ed Spanjaard is the ideal new leader of the Orchestra of the East

by Henri Drost
13 July 201620 February 2017
9 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC, OPERA, PODIUM ART

After it was announced in January this year that Jan Willem de Vriend was leaving at the end of the 2016/2017 season, the Orchestra of the East announced that it was in no hurry to find a successor. One would start working with "renowned guest conductors". Just over six months later, a few months before the departure of interim director Bart van Meijl, a successor was still presented. That this successor, Ed Spanjaard, is given the title of 'permanent conductor' seems mainly a semantic issue.

Guaranteeing: the new way of subsidising.

by Henri Drost
4 April 20165 April 2016
3 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC

The Orchestra of the East is allowed half a million in red. That is the outcome of the 'Urban Commission' in Enschede. In a fortnight, the city council will formally take the decision, but with the commitment of a large majority, any debate will be wasted time then and the proposal would be better added to the list of hammer pieces immediately. That would have been a month...

De Vriend leaves Orchestra of the East, former chief Van Zweden new boss New York Philharmonic

by Henri Drost
28 January 201628 January 2016
6 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC, OPERA

It is not often that Norman Lebrecht, author of the globally widely read blog Slipped Disc, covers conductors of the Orchestra of the East two days in a row. First on the departure of principal conductor Jan Willem de Vriend, then on the appointment of former principal conductor Jaap van Zweden to the world-famous New York Philharmonic. Naturally, Lebrecht brought both...

Musicians pay to save their orchestra. TV programme Maestro helps a little.

by Henri Drost
24 January 201630 March 2022
6 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

The Orchestra of the East is cutting its coat of arms, focusing primarily on Overijssel and has applied for collective redundancy. This - and a whole lot more - can be read in the new business plan. It is enough for the province to release a one-off €1.1 million and make 3.5 tonnes of annual subsidy available again from now on. The...

Orchestra of the East reinstated: HET Symphony Orchestra has 'new' name

by Henri Drost
30 November 201518 March 2016
8 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC

From Dutch Symphony Orchestra with international ambitions back to provincial orchestra with as yet nothing at all. Now, except for the ironclad original name. It could be a commercial for Telfort. In between are many lost lawsuits, the grotesque protest name *****Symphony Orchestra and the equally garish HET Symphony Orchestra. It is the ultimate capitulation of the once by just about everything and everyone...

The disaster surrounding the eastern orchestras only intensifies. A reconstruction

by Henri Drost
23 November 201518 March 2016
13 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC

A damning report by organisational consultancy Berenschot, the voluntary or involuntary departure of director Harm Mannak, repeated bickering in the State Assembly and panting reports of high salaries for directors and artistic directors, all the way to the national newspapers. It marks the chaos at HET Symfonieorkest and the lack of any form of direction, not only at the orchestra itself,...

HET Symphony Orchestra director steps down - just before scathing report on business plan

by Henri Drost
6 November 201530 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

Failing directors stay put, the Supervisory Board disqualifies itself. No other conclusion is possible after reading the counter-expertise commissioned by the province of Overijssel and carried out by Berenschot. The provincial millions intended to make the orchestra subsidy-independent have not only evaporated, but show a negative balance in every area. Every estimate was too optimistic,...

HET Symphony Orchestra won't get its 2016 budget done

by Henri Drost
2 October 201529 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

THE Symphony Orchestra does not have a balanced budget for 2016. Without additional money from the province, it can no longer perform its core task, nor can it fulfil all the commitments it made earlier. That is the gist of the letter CDA deputy commissioner Hester Maij sent to Provincial Council, ahead of its meeting on 7 October. The subject of the letter: "progress business plan/redemption subsidy HET Symfonieorkest"....

Chamber listens to culture sector. And hears nothing new.

by Henri Drost
19 June 201530 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

Five hours of talks with more than 30 invited guests. That's what the Round Table discussion on the 'Principles of Cultural Policy 2017-2020' offered. There was hardly any debate. It consisted mainly of repeating one's own views, but very carefully so as not to offend anyone. The chairman mainly watched the clock. The debate in five quotes. "How do we do it? Very simple: about the...

No new merger orchestras, no merger Reisopera and Opera Zuid

by Henri Drost
8 June 201530 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, OPERA

Bussemaker invests 18 million in the arts and a symphony orchestra for pop and jazz added. It seems too good to be true. And so it is. Because in return for that one extra orchestra, two other orchestras will be cut. At least, that's how the minister's letter can easily be read. That's how I read it too, at least. Currently...

Crisis at The Symphony Orchestra only gets worse thanks to fact-free politics

by Henri Drost
9 April 201529 March 2022
7 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

HET Symfonieorkest's financial problems have not gone unnoticed. Regional newspaper Tubantia reported last Monday that PvdA MP Jacques Monasch had minister Jet Bussemaker (also PvdA) summoned to the Lower House. In that report, Monasch passes with seven-mile boots advice, applications and decisions that have already been made or are yet to come, and immediately reports that a symphony orchestra will continue to be...

Supervisory failure at HET Symphony Orchestra: drama that could have been avoided

by Henri Drost
2 April 201530 March 2022
9 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

The money at HET Symphony Orchestra has run out. Despite all the extra millions from the province and after years of writing off tons of general reserves, the end is in sight. And so the orchestra is scrapping concerts, will be seen less in theatres in Deventer and Zwolle, stops CD recordings and shuns any risky performances. To keep the...

Bicycle shed gives way to redundant office of The Symphony Orchestra

by Henri Drost
6 January 201511 July 2016
3 min read
ACTUAL

650,000 euros. The municipality of Enschede is prepared to lend that amount to HET Symfonieorkest. Not for a special cultural project in the city, no, for a renovation. Not surprising, as municipalities, after all, prefer to invest in bricks and mortar rather than culture. But in this case, we are talking about very special bricks. According to director Harm Mannak, the barely used bicycle shed needs to be converted into a...

Orchestra finds name: the HET The Symphony Orchestra

by Henri Drost
20 September 201429 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC

Hooray! We have a new name. Nederlands Symfonieorkest was not allowed, *****Orkest everyone thought was a joke and reverting to the perfect name Orkest van het Oosten is not possible, because loss of face. What then?

Symphony orchestra seeks name. All suggestions are welcome.

by Henri Drost
28 August 201411 July 2016
2 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC

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.

Director sues own orchestra to death

by Henri Drost
16 March 201429 March 2022
4 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, OPERA

It was big news. One orchestra confiscates the instruments of another. Only it doesn't add up. Just as much does not appear to be right in conductor Jan Willem de Vriend's letter in last Thursday's Volkskrant.

Read More "Director sues own orchestra to death

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

by one of our members
13 March 201430 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only

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.

Star. Five times. And then Symphony Orchestra.

by Henri Drost
21 February 201430 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, OPERA

Five-star Symphony Orchestra. This is how the Dutch Symphony Orchestra will be called next season. The former Orkest van het Oosten tried to become 'Dutch' but faced a lawsuit from the Philharmonic Orchestra, which was already 'Dutch'. 'Politics should get involved in the legal process. Because it can't go on like this. This is costing tons of money.' Says Harm Mannak.

Read More "Star. Five times. And then Symphony Orchestra.

Dutch Symphony Orchestra loses lawsuit and name

by Henri Drost
26 June 20138 July 2016
4 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC, OPERA

We already wrote about the name change of the Orchestra of the East into the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (NedSym). The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NedPho) was not amused and felt that the Enschede-based orchestra was infringing its trademark and trademark rights and demanded that the orchestra choose a different name. Summary proceedings followed and in April 2012 the court ruled that the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra could only not use the abbreviation NedSO, but did not have to change its name.

Is Jan Willem de Vriend naive, or is he blatantly lying?

by Henri Drost
23 March 20128 July 2016
6 min read
ACTUAL, MUSIC, OPERA

We have already written at length about the Ajax situation in Enschede: orchestra and opera are at odds over an unexpected opera subsidy application by the orchestra. Startled by the ensuing commotion, some of those involved have since responded. It's just a damn shame that those reactions are not aligned.

Read More "Is Jan Willem de Vriend naive, or is he blatantly lying?

Eastern orchestras settle 40% rebate on musicians' salaries and union is sidelined

by Henri Drost
9 March 201229 March 2022
3 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

[recap] To avoid having to merge and to bring in an extra half a million each, the orchestras in Overijssel and Gelderland made very ambitious plans. Which bear striking similarities. Both orchestras requested and received money from the province, albeit much less than requested. In theory, this would compensate for the reduction in the state subsidy, but that provincial money is mainly meant to reform the organisation. However, it is not enough for that. Not by a long shot.

How two orchestras sold an international revenue model as regional

by Henri Drost
6 March 201230 March 2022
6 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

Recap: There are too many orchestras in the Netherlands, the government thinks, and so a few have to go. Or merge. Now that forced merging doesn't seem to go very heartily. But you can make money out of it. In Gelderland and Overijssel, this leads to bizarre scenes. It would have been comical if it hadn't cost so much money.

To bring in an extra five tonnes, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Gelderland Orchestra are pulling together. And with success: the provincial governments of Overijssel and Gelderland are absorbing the state's subsidy cut. However, it now turns out that the plans used to rake in that bailout are dubious. Politicians have hardly looked into it. Questions about the business plan came mainly from the PVV in Overijssel, but in Gelderland that same party enthusiastically agreed to the injection of millions after a - remarkably damning - counter-expertise.

Orchestras in eastern Netherlands go slating

by Henri Drost
5 March 201229 March 2022
9 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

Nearly thirteen million The Gelderland Orchestra (HGO) asked for the province of Gelderland. It got three-and-a-half. Just enough to absorb the reduction in the state subsidy for the next two years and to work towards a new organisational structure and a new revenue model, as described in a very ambitious business plan, which...... wait for it. We have already written about this, haven't we?

Amsterdam takes Netherlands Symphony Orchestra to court

by Henri Drost
23 February 201229 March 2022
2 min read
ACTUAL, For members only, MUSIC, OPERA

We already wrote extensively about the name change of the Orchestra of the East in the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The curious opera grant application based on a business plan that carries huge risks had our full attention. Regular partner the National Travel Opera was not amused.

Ambitions City Promotion made Grenswerk hopeless.

by Henri Drost
22 February 20128 July 2016
5 min read
MUSIC, OPERA

Festival Grenswerk was told on Tuesday 21 February that it must stop after three successful years because it does not match the ambitions of Stichting Enschede Promotie. The festival set up in 2009 was given a thick set of demands by the alderman that it could not meet after a scathing report by this revamped VVV.

1
2
Next "

Small Membership

175€ / 12 Months

Subscribe

Especially for organisations with a turnover or grant of less than 250,000 per year.

No annoying banners

A premium newsletter

5 trial newsletter subscriptions

All our podcasts

Have your say on our policies

Insight into finances

Exclusive archives

Posting press releases yourself

Own mastodon account on our instance

More details in the confirmation email!

Most Popular

Cultural Membership

360€ / Year

Subscribe

For cultural organisations

No annoying banners

A premium newsletter

10 trial newsletter subscriptions

All our podcasts

Participate

Insight into finances

Exclusive archives

Posting press releases yourself

Own mastodon account on our instance

Collaboration

In the confirmation e-mail you will find the details for press release forwarding

Private Membership

50€ / Year

Subscribe

For natural persons and self-employed persons.

No annoying banners

A premium newsletter

All our podcasts

Have your say on our policies

Insight into finances

Exclusive archives

Own mastodon account on our instance