Can't make a choice? Don't worry!
Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht – 28 August - 6 September 2026
Tip from Robin Wiersma, ticket sales & EMTV
Ensemble Odyssee - Theater zonder stemmen (Wednesday 2 September 15:00, TivoliVredenburg / Hertz)
Sometimes music is more than just listening; it’s seeing with your ears. This concert by Ensemble Odyssee promises to be a wonderful baroque musical sleight of hand. What I find so fascinating is that the musicians play with your ears. You hear a trumpet sounding or a drum beating, but on stage you see only recorders, oboes and strings imitating these sounds. It is an inventive game of disguises and echoes in which the instruments constantly swap roles. For me, this is the ultimate proof that Baroque music doesn’t have to be stuffy, but can actually be full of humour and surprise. Will you come and experience how the ‘special effects’ of the Baroque can fool you?
Tip from Cas van Dijk, audience participation
ĀRT HOUSE 17 & Friends - Over the Rainbow (Tuesday 1 September 20:00, TivoliVredenburg / Grote Zaal)
ĀRT HOUSE 17 is treating us to a full-length, revue-style, varied and surprising evening featuring a diverse range of artistic disciplines, musical genres and people. I can’t wait! Various collaborations have been established for this project, and I am very curious to see how these will be expressed on the stage of the Main Hall. It’s wonderful to see how ART HOUSE 17 juxtaposes old music with new music to demonstrate the relevance and power of music. Music connects; representation matters.
Tip from Vera Vos, deputy director
Sophie de Bardonnèche, Justin Taylor & Lucile Boulanger - Destinées (Friday 4 September 11:00, TivoliVredenburg / Hertz)
I am so impressed by the younger generation of musicians, who are not afraid to challenge the conventions and canon of early music. For her first solo album, violinist Sophie de Bardonnèche delved into 100 years of French Baroque music and brought the music of a dozen female composers, who had been completely forgotten, back to life. The music is at least as beautiful as that of their male contemporaries, and I am delighted that they are finally getting their well-deserved place in the spotlight at the festival. Perhaps for the first time, but hopefully not the last!