In 2022, the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht launched the world's very first streaming service entirely dedicated to Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. With concerts recorded at previous festival editions as well as the Festival Oude Muziek Tournees and collaborations with partners such as the International Van Wassenaer Competition, Early Music Television offers an extensive selection of early music in high image and sound quality. Today, EMTV is the no. 1 international platform for early music, offering unique, high-quality content for early music enthusiasts all over the world.

Early music is a collective term for Western classical music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque periods. Within historical performance practice, musicians play on historical instruments or copies of instruments from that era.

Early music

From early church music from the liturgy, plainchant, and songs of troubadours and minnesingers in the Middle Ages, to polyphonic vocal music and early instrumental pieces from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and of course the Baroque period, with exuberant music from the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries by composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.

It all resonates at the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht: the largest early music festival in the world. Featuring concerts at beautiful venues in the historic city center of Utrecht, such as TivoliVredenburg, the Domkerk, and the Pieterskerk.

From Gregorian chant to opera

On Early Music Television, you will find the absolute highlights of the past eight years of the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht en de Festival Oude Muziek Tournees. Concerts feature music by composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Handel, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, William Byrd, Georg Philipp Telemann, Josquin Desprez, Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corelli, and many more. Naturally, an extensive selection of anonymously written church music for choir is also included, as well as the most beautiful motets and madrigals. You can also turn to EMTV for your fill of operas.

What is Early Music Television?

Early Music Television —EMTV in short — is the streaming platform of the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht. On this website, you can watch concert recordings from the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht and other content partners. To use EMTV, you need an account. You can then take out a subscription or buy individual concerts as pay-per-concert.

What kind of music can I watch?

Early Music Television features a wide range of early classical music, specifically from the Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance periods. In fact, EMTV is the only early music streaming service available online!

Can I watch concerts on demand?

All content on Early Music Television is available as video on demand.

Is EMTV available outside the Netherlands?

Yes! There are no geographical restrictions for using EMTV: you can watch all our videos from anywhere in the world.

What's the difference between Premium and Basic?

While EMTV Basic gives you unlimited access to the concert catalogue as well as documentaries and lectures and monthly new releases; livestreams and other premium content is only available with EMTV Premium. You can expand on Basic with Pay-per-concert. EMTV Premium is the cheaper option: you pay only € 90 / year, while EMTV Basic costs € 7.99 / month.

Can I buy individual concerts?

You can buy individual concerts for € 1.99 - € 9.99 each with Pay-per-concert. This way, you pay only for what you watch. After purchasing a concert, you will have access indefinitely and get unlimited viewing of the purchased content.

How many concerts are available?

Early Music Television currently has over 450 individual early music titles available.

What is a live stream?

Live streams are (recordings of) concerts that are broadcast online. EMTV Premium subscribers have free access to livestreams. You can buy livestreams as pay-per-concert.

Can I watch on my TV?

Yes, you can watch EMTV on your television. If you have a Chromecast or Apple AirPlay, or your TV has this functionality built in, you can cast EMTV to your TV from another device. Alternatively, connect a laptop or desktop computer to the TV with a cable (HDMI). If you have a smart TV, it is also possible to watch via the web browser on the TV.

How do I contact customer service?

EMTV's customer service can be reached by phone at +31 (0)30 232 9000 and by e-mail at [email protected]. Non-urgent questions are best asked via e-mail. Customer service is available Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 16:00 (CET).

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