Ensemble Royaal returns with Boulez's Dérive and other new pieces.
Tickets for Dérive

After taking a different form for several editions, and being absent for several editions, Ensemble Royaal returns in its original form. A piece from recent contemporary classical music will be presented as the central piece, and three more new works will be composed by students based on the scoring of that piece.

This year, Boulez' Dérive 2 will be taken as the central work, a piece that demands a lot from the performer given its length, intensity and other challenges. Boulez is reported to have said to the musicians once before a concert: 'Woah, tonight Dérive 2, oof, buckle up, roll up your sleeves.' This year, Jasper de Bock, Thijmen Krijgsman and Aaron Levin will have the opportunity to write a new composition alongside this monumental piece.

The entire programme will be performed by musicians from the Classical Music department.

Composers
Jasper de Bock, Thijmen Krijgsman, Aaron Levin

Musicians
Zoë Loxley Slump (English horn), Mariëtte Koens (clarinet), Sílvio Lopes Soares Almeida (bassoon), Isabel Guantes (violin), Sergio Sánchez Perera (viola), Sigrid Angelsen (cello), Ana Muñoz Koniarska (horn), João Pedro Pereira Borralho (vibraphone), Miguel Pissarra Correia Pinto Varela (marimba), Alba Franco Trancon (harp), Michele Guerrieri (piano)

Soundscape's Madame Citron presents interdisciplinary performances resulting from the collaboration between students of the Royal Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Art.
Tickets for Madame Citron

Soundscape is an interdisciplinary, collaborative programme between students of the Royal Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Art. Each year, the lab culminates in a performance evening at the Korzo Theatre during the Spring Festival. Soundscape invites students from both institutes to collaborate and explore new ways of bringing together sonic and visual materials, resulting in a series of short performances combining scenographic design and composition.

Participating students
Delara Navaey, Livia Malossi, Thomas Wenas, Lai Keng Lam, Kaat Vanhaverbeke, Arefeh Hekmatpanah, Jim van der Steege, Alper Çekinmez, Stefanos Constantinides, Tim Dekker, Panna Drenkó, Loona Dusser, Yicheng Geng, Basia Jagiello, Klara Kovačič, Beverly Lau, Maja Mikulska, Laura Modoni, Mads Rosairus, Suzie Veldhuijzen, Julia Wlazłowska, Isa Zichterman

An evening filled with vocal and theatrical discoveries.
Tickets for Lalala

The curriculum of the Composition department offers students a diverse palette of collaborations throughout their studies, so that by the end of their studies they have a wide range of experiences to enter the professional world.

The first collaboration in the first year of the bachelor's degree is with a singer or vocalist. Duos of singers and composers are formed. The composer also devises which instruments will perform the piece, and finds the corresponding musicians.

This results in this concert: an evening with a diversity of musical and vocal compositions, often also with theatrical elements. In addition, during this evening, works will be performed by a vocal ensemble composed by students from the Vocal department. Three composers from the higher years will have the opportunity to compose for this ensemble.

The New European Ensemble performs new pieces and La Arqueologia del Neon by composer in residence Oscar Bettison.
Tickets for La Arqueologia del Neon

The New European Ensemble is a welcome guest at our festival, and we are again grateful to have a collaboration with this ensemble this year. An annual speed date with the ensemble takes place in the autumn. A large group of students then composes a 2-3-minute piece for the ensemble. On the day of the speed date, each composer is given 20 minutes to work with the ensemble. After these sessions, the ensemble selects a number of students who get to compose a longer piece. These works will then be performed during the Spring Festival.

Tonight's programme also includes a piece by Oscar Bettison. Oscar Bettison is an alumnus of the Composition department and has built a fine career internationally. A good reason to invite him as composer in residence. During his stay in The Hague, he gave master classes to students of the Composition department.

Composers
Aaron Levin, Annija Zarina, Hesce Mourits

Musicians
Felicia van den End (flute), James Meldrum (clarinet/bass clarinet), Pepe Garcia (percussion), Malgorzata Walentynowicz (piano), Rada Ovcharova (violin), Emlyn Stam (viola), Willem Stam (cello)

Quad - Carte Blanche for four free spirits.
Fin - An afterparty wit Maud.
Tickets for Quad & Fin

Projects are a fundamental part of the curriculum in the Composition department. Most of the elements of these projects are defined and organised for the students. However, it is also important that the students can create and design their own projects, so the teachers decided to give them carte blanche. For this last evening, we sent out a call for students to submit their plans for the evening, and four of these students were selected to realise their submitted plans.

At the end of the programme, you will be invited to the foyer for an afterparty with Maud.

Composers
Delara Navaey, Samo Vidic, Julian de Looff, Jim van der Steege