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Genevieve Murphy, composer and theatrical performer: 'I like music with rhythm, feeling and drive. Music that makes me dance.' #novembermusic

'I have a special relationship with my stuff. It has to do with certain emotional experiences in my life.' With "The Spot Where I Find Myself", Genevieve Murphy (Scotland, 1988) breaks new ground in exploring her potential as a composer, musician, but above all, a theatrical performer. Those who have been following Murphy for a few years have already noticed her versatility,... 

Read More "Genevieve Murphy, composer and theatrical performer: 'I like music with rhythm, feeling and drive. Music that makes me dance.' #novembermusic

Inez Wolters creates family performance with Strawinsky circus: 'I believe ten-year-olds can handle a lot' #festivalcircolo

Tilburg-based chamber orchestra Kamerata Zuid, with dancer and choreographer Inez Wolters, performs Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat as a family performance. The performance will premiere this week at Festival Circolo, Holland's largest circus festival, also in Tilburg. Wolters is an all-rounder. With Swarmers, she stages dance on location, with audience participation. She also leads with her wild and... 

Read More "Inez Wolters creates family performance with Strawinsky circus: 'I believe ten-year-olds can handle a lot' #festivalcircolo

Black Pencil meets Gamelan ensemble Kyai Fatahillah: "let it happen, let's experience it, let's see what happens". #Novembermusic

Indonesian gamelan ensemble Kyai Fatahillah is coming to the Netherlands, joining forces with the contemporary music specialists Black Pencil. During November Music, they can be heard together on Saturday 5 November in the Grote Zaal of the Verkadefabriek in Den Bosch. Mask mystery The chamber ensemble Black Pencil has an original line-up: recorder, pan flute, viola, accordion and percussion. Played by five international... 

Read More "Black Pencil meets Gamelan ensemble Kyai Fatahillah: "let it happen, let's experience it, let's see what happens". #Novembermusic

'We will have to learn to live together better.' Writer Julia Navarro explores the why of terrorism in her new novel

Navarro's eighth novel From Nothingness revolves around Lebanese-Frenchman Abir Nasr, whose parents and sister are shot dead before his eyes by Israeli soldiers. Abir vows to take revenge one day. He and his little brother Ismail end up with strict religious family in Paris, who later move to the Molenbeek district of Brussels. While Abir's cousin Noura adopts the freer lifestyle of... 

Read More "'We will have to learn to live together better.' Writer Julia Navarro explores the why of terrorism in her new novel

'My interest took on some obsessive traits.' Inge Schilperoord delved into the appeal of faith for her new novel

Seven years after her acclaimed debut novel Muidhond, Inge Schilperoord's new book is published. She delved into the experiences of a young Dutch girl attracted to the Islamic faith. When Inge Schilperoord (49) was a forensic psychologist in 2017, she spent time providing psychological examinations at the terrorist ward of a prison, where people suspected of having ties... 

Read More "'My interest took on some obsessive traits.' Inge Schilperoord delved into the appeal of faith for her new novel

Jesse Huygh balances high level with cystic fibrosis #festivalcircolo

When, at the end of his performance, he stands on top of a five-metre high pole, struggling to keep his balance, the audience holds its breath. As does Jesse himself, but he does not do so voluntarily. We watched him struggle for a performance with oxygen hoses and blood meters, pausing regularly to get air again. What if... 

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'When I read all these observations about myself, I was in shock.' Ariëlla Kornmehl on her new novel 'The taxman'

For her new novel The Taxman, Ariëlla Kornmehl did not have to look far for her inspiration. From one day to the next, she herself became a protagonist in a story, as it turned out that her tax consultant harboured a silent obsession for her. "When I read all those observations about myself, I was in shock," she says. After the publication 

Read More "'When I read all these observations about myself, I was in shock.' Ariëlla Kornmehl on her new novel 'The taxman'

'I wanted to be like Jesus'.' 6 life insights from Ellen ten Damme

Her life has become what Ellen ten Damme (54) once dreamed of: free, exciting and she can make a living from her music. Like a troubadour, she is touring the country in the coming months with her new show Barock. 'Only in my French home do I do normal things.' 1. I can take myself seriously 'As a 3-year-old, I was already hanging from the highest lamppost. I... 

Read More "'I wanted to be like Jesus'.' 6 life insights from Ellen ten Damme

Zeruya Shalev wrote a beautiful novel about mourning: 'I felt the pain as if it happened to me'

With a fine, precise pen, Israeli Zeruya Shalev (63) writes about human relationships. Her new novel Lot is about what binds and drives loved ones apart, and about the different faces of grief. Sentences that want to be written For some writers, a book begins with an image, a pressing question or a character that presents itself. For Zeruya Shalev, a... 

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What reviewer comes to see a wildly unknown 58-year-old debutant?

'My show touches, incites self-reflection and is already getting quite a lot of press attention; a substantive review was unfortunately not among them until now. After all, what reviewer comes to see a wildly unknown 58-year-old debutant?' Rata Kloppenburg- theatre maker, cabaret artist & cellist- immediately bursts out at her table in Zwolle. While I have yet to ask a question... 

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Writer Mauro Corona: 'With my upbringing, I could have become a killer.'

A hard but also sensitive novel is Like a stone in the stream by Mauro Corona (72), and a reflection of himself. On a daily basis, the Italian writer and visual artist becomes more and more like the hedgehog in his book, which eventually drops all its spines. 'I try to bring out more of the softness that is hidden somewhere inside,... 

Read More "Writer Mauro Corona: 'With my upbringing, I could have become a killer.'

(Update) Nicolas Stemann on his version of 'der Besuch' at the Holland Festival: 'We do take such women very seriously these days.' #HF22

Update 11 May 2022

The comparison with the Derksen affair cited in this article no longer holds true as of this date, as the TV personality has been restored to full glory by the television station that previously 'cancelled' him. From Monday 16 May, he will return to his old role as a 'grumpy old man' in Today Inside. See the link here.

Read More "(Update) Nicolas Stemann on his version of 'der Besuch' at the Holland Festival: 'We do take such women very seriously these days.' #HF22

Tiago Rodrigues directs Isabelle Huppert in The Cherry Garden at the Holland Festival: 'From Chekhov, the best friend of all actors in the world, we play every note.'

'For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to play all the notes written by Chekhov. It was an intellectual and artistic challenge to really work with Chekhov. I could really let Chekhov be one of the authors of the play, which is very unusual for me. After all, I'm used to writing plays to... 

Read More "Tiago Rodrigues directs Isabelle Huppert in The Cherry Garden at the Holland Festival: 'From Chekhov, the best friend of all actors in the world, we play every note.'

'It was like a disaster movie' Film journalist Lena Rubashevskaya on her flight from Ukraine

Lena Rubashevskaya is a well-known film journalist and documentary filmmaker from Ukraine. She was working on a new film in Donetsk when Russian troops began their invasion of Ukraine. She had to flee headlong. Now, eight days later, she tells us her story from Warsaw. When you listen to her, you understand forever that fleeing war and violence is one of... 

Read More "'It was like a disaster movie' Film journalist Lena Rubashevskaya on her flight from Ukraine

Always a new failure. Why internationally lauded writer László Krasznahorkai experiences all his work as a failure

Great international recognition notwithstanding, Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai himself considers every novel a failure. 'I strain my brain to the limit, but it never becomes the book it should be. So I start again. And again.' Hope for redemption lost Film adaptations of his novels and winning the prestigious Man Booker International... 

Read More "Always a new failure. Why internationally lauded writer László Krasznahorkai experiences all his work as a failure

Stefan de Walle plays in 'Poison': 'We hope people will now appreciate extra what they had to miss all this time, just like us actors.'

From this week, try-outs of Poison, about an ex-couple who lost a child, are playing. After the premiere on 19 February in Leiden, as many as 70 performances will follow throughout the country. Actor Stefan de Walle is ready for it. The wonderful play Gif by Lot Vekemans has been performed since its premiere in 2009 at NTGent under Johan Simons in 21... 

Read More "Stefan de Walle plays in 'Poison': 'We hope people will now appreciate extra what they had to miss all this time, just like us actors.'

'Weeping people desperately sought family photos'. Franco Faggiani wrote a novel about the earthquakes in Italy

Houses, monuments, shops and streets were wiped off the map. Nearly three hundred people died under the rubble. Franco Faggiani (73) wrote a gripping book about the earthquake that hit central Italy five years ago: Sometimes I'd like to be the wind. Success Whenever possible, Franco Faggiani treks into the northern Italian mountains. Once again, he finds himself in the Piedmontese... 

Read More "'Weeping people desperately sought family photos'. Franco Faggiani wrote a novel about the earthquakes in Italy

'Please tell me what happened, because I can't grasp it.' Nicola Lagioia wrote a penetrating book about a brutal murder in Rome.

Five years ago, Rome was rocked by a brutal, bloody murder. Under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, two near-thirties murdered for no reason a young man they did not know. Writer and journalist Nicola Lagioia, like many other compatriots, was gripped by the case. 'This is not just a story about a murder, but above all about loneliness.' Manuel Foffo and... 

Read More "'Please tell me what happened, because I can't grasp it.' Nicola Lagioia wrote a penetrating book about a brutal murder in Rome.

KunstZINnig #3: Jasmijn Huisman in conversation with Gershwin Bonevacia, city poet of Amsterdam: ''If I don't write, I find it harder to process events.''

In the third episode of the podcast KunstZINnig, journalist Jasmijn Huisman talks to Amsterdam city poet Gershwin Bonevacia about how poetry gives meaning to his life: 'There is always a fire inside me that I cannot deny. I didn't make the choice to write, I just can't do anything else.' Gershwin Bonevacia is... 

Read More "KunstZINnig #3: Jasmijn Huisman in conversation with Gershwin Bonevacia, city poet of Amsterdam: ''If I don't write, I find it harder to process events.''

'Birds just passed me by for three quarters of my life' Learn to bird with writer Nicolien Mizee

She could barely tell a sparrow from a wren, and almost gave up bird watching. But now writer Nicolien Mizee effortlessly recognises a barred siskin or a dipper. Nicolien Mizee's Bird Book is meant to encourage laymen like herself. 'You just experience so much more of your surroundings.' How romantic: the wild swan brought writer Nicolien Mizee and her husband Rob... 

Read More "'Birds just passed me by for three quarters of my life' Learn to bird with writer Nicolien Mizee

The child without a father became a father without a child. Auke Hulst wrote a novel about mourning an unborn child

It is perhaps his most ambitious novel to date, and at the same time the first he would rather not talk about. For in De Mitsukoshi Troostbaby Company, writer Auke Hulst (46) broaches a sensitive and personal theme: mourning for an unborn child. Near future The Mitsukoshi Troostbaby Company is a novel as only Auke Hulst writes it.... 

Read More "The child without a father became a father without a child. Auke Hulst wrote a novel about mourning an unborn child

Podcast KunstZINnig #2: Hanne Hagenaars: 'Art has deepened and in a way saved my life.'

In the second episode of the podcast KunstZINnig, I talk to art curator and writer Hanne Hagenaars about how art gives meaning to her life: 'Art has deepened and, in a way, saved my life'. Hanne Hagenaars wrote the book 'No Cloud: How Art Saved My Life' in 2016. In this book, she discusses artworks that... 

Read More "Podcast KunstZINnig #2: Hanne Hagenaars: 'Art has deepened and in a way saved my life.'

'My housemates teach me to feel and listen' Teun Toebes (22) lives in a nursing home to change the care of people with a faltering brain from within

Teun Toebes (22) shares kitchen, bathroom and toilet not with fellow students but with people with dementia. He wrote a book about it: VerpleegThuis. The book came in at number 1 in the Bestseller 60 last week, much to his delight, because Toebes wants to reach as many people as possible with his mission: to change care for people with a faltering brain. 'It... 

Read More "'My housemates teach me to feel and listen' Teun Toebes (22) lives in a nursing home to change the care of people with a faltering brain from within

Writer and physicist Paolo Giordano: 'I don't want to forget that so many people have died.'

As a physicist, Paolo Giordano was deeply concerned about the development of Covid-19. As a writer, he could interpret those feelings of concern and share them with the public. Giordano's articles are collected in What I Don't Want to Forget. 'It would be a sin if all this suffering and all these deaths were in vain.' Aware of the danger When he... 

Read More "Writer and physicist Paolo Giordano: 'I don't want to forget that so many people have died.'

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