How will we make, play and listen to music tomorrow? The unstoppable advance of artificial intelligence heralds huge revolutions. Will ChatGPT and consorts soon also put composers out of work? Or will a new generation of creative allies emerge here? In any case, composer and pianist Mathias Coppens is not discouraged. Things are happening fast for the Los Angeles-based composer. He made a name for himself in the world of film music, and in recent years has been increasingly writing music for theatre companies, opera and ballet houses and music ensembles.
In De Singel, Coppens uses artificial intelligence to create what may be his most daring project to date. On BRYGGEN’s music stands, a graphic score that only takes shape in real time.

Mathias Coppens – composition
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Maya Fridman – solo cello
Klaas Verpoest – live visuals
Menno Buggenhout – app development
Howest Bruges – preliminary research app and visuals

_{In co-production with De Singel.}

The most beautiful children’s songs with roots in Zeebrugge.

In the spring of 2023, Zonzo Compagnie went to the inhabitants of Zeebrugge in search of special children’s songs with a unique story. They looked into the homes and hearts of Zeebrugge residents and talked about their childhood and musical memories. In Songs with roots, their songs and stories are transformed into a multimedia musical theatre performance that is very close to the people and their stories.

In collaboration with Zonzo Company.

‘The Protecting Veil’ was originally written as a short piece at the request of cellist Steven Isserlis, but quickly developed into a more substantial work commissioned by the BBC for the 1989 Proms season. Like many of Tavener’s compositions, this work reflects the composer’s Russian Orthodox faith.
Eight Marian icons underlie the work through which Tavener sought to capture the cosmic power of the Mother of God. Above all, the British composer wants to underline and express the importance of the feminine. Although this work expresses a clear subject, you can simply enjoy the pure music.

‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi is perhaps one of the most famous classical music pieces of all time. Some swear sacredly by their timeless genius, others view them as ‘overplayed’. British composer Max Richter – known for his cinematic and minimalist music – felt impelled several years ago to take a new approach to this masterpiece. Richter left out as much as 75% of the original score. The other 25% he spun through a kind of minimalist, layered looping.
The result is ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter’.

Soloists: Pieter Wispelwey, cello & Jolente De Maeyer, violin

‘The Protecting Veil’ was originally written as a short piece at the request of cellist Steven Isserlis, but quickly developed into a more substantial work commissioned by the BBC for the 1989 Proms season. Like many of Tavener’s compositions, this work reflects the composer’s Russian Orthodox faith.
Eight Marian icons underlie the work through which Tavener sought to capture the cosmic power of the Mother of God. Above all, the British composer wants to underline and express the importance of the feminine. Although this work expresses a clear subject, you can simply enjoy the pure music.

‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi is perhaps one of the most famous classical music pieces of all time. Some swear sacredly by their timeless genius, others view them as ‘overplayed’. British composer Max Richter – known for his cinematic and minimalist music – felt impelled several years ago to take a new approach to this masterpiece. Richter left out as much as 75% of the original score. The other 25% he spun through a kind of minimalist, layered looping.
The result is ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter’.

Soloists: Pieter Wispelwey, cello & Jolente De Maeyer, violin

‘The Protecting Veil’ was originally written as a short piece at the request of cellist Steven Isserlis, but quickly developed into a more substantial work commissioned by the BBC for the 1989 Proms season. Like many of Tavener’s compositions, this work reflects the composer’s Russian Orthodox faith.
Eight Marian icons underlie the work through which Tavener sought to capture the cosmic power of the Mother of God. Above all, the British composer wants to underline and express the importance of the feminine. Although this work expresses a clear subject, you can simply enjoy the pure music.

‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi is perhaps one of the most famous classical music pieces of all time. Some swear sacredly by their timeless genius, others view them as ‘overplayed’. British composer Max Richter – known for his cinematic and minimalist music – felt impelled several years ago to take a new approach to this masterpiece. Richter left out as much as 75% of the original score. The other 25% he spun through a kind of minimalist, layered looping.
The result is ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter’.

Soloists: Pieter Wispelwey, cello & Jolente De Maeyer, violin

VIVA is a project of JOWest and BRYGGEN. We have two goals:
– Inspiring to make music and initiating string instruments.
– Guiding string players, orientating them, playing together,…

To make this possible, we are organising workshops, rehearsals, masterclasses,… and on Saturday February 24 and Sunday February 25, 2024, we will organise a celebration weekend for string players at Concertgebouw Brugge. Have you been playing for a long time, or started playing just recently? Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, 24th of February 2024 – cello and double bass
Sunday, 25th of February 2024 – violin and viola

You can register here.

VIVA is a project of JOWest and BRYGGEN. We have two goals:
– Inspiring to make music and initiating string instruments.
– Guiding string players, orientating them, playing together,…

To make this possible, we are organising workshops, rehearsals, masterclasses,… and on Saturday February 24 and Sunday February 25, 2024, we will organise a celebration weekend for string players at Concertgebouw Brugge. Have you been playing for a long time, or started playing just recently? Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, 24th of February 2024 – cello and double bass
Sunday, 25th of February 2024 – violin and viola

You can register here.

Come catch the Christmas spirit with music from Vivaldi to Scandinavian Folk!

Come catch the Christmas spirit with music from Vivaldi to Scandinavian Folk!

Organisation: rien à voir

Minimal music lovers will be delighted on Nov. 30: BRYGGEN presents a wonderful program of music by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Caroline Shaw and Max Richter.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one of the most important, and also the most recorded work of the Western classical repertoire. For contemporary composer Max Richter, this work has reached a point of saturation: you hear it everywhere – in lifts, car parks and mobile phones, on the radio and in television commercials, so it has lost its noticeable power vis-à-vis contemporary audiences. So the task Richter set himself was to reconfigure the listening experience to this masterpiece. And so he composed The Four Seasons Recomposed.

In Scandinavia, traditional music goes hand in hand with classical music. Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg knew like no other how to incorporate folk music into his scores like no other. The Danish String Quartet played a CD full of arrangements of their beloved Scandinavian folk music ‘Wood Works’, for ‘four simple instruments made of wood’. BRYGGEN performs these folk, Norwegian melodies in their version for string ensemble.

In collaboration with VIVA, STAP, JOWest and De Spil as part of String Days.

B-Classic and CC de Bogaard stir you with adventurous concerts in Truien’s prime heritage.

Lying between ancient murals, tripping on classical music and a night of pounding on Beethoven & co: the festival Beroert by B-Classic and CC de Bogaard explores adventurous paths in beautiful, ancient locations.

On Saturday, the Beguinage Church, with its fascinating murals, will be the setting for works by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass and Pēteris Vasks. Minimal compositions that you can experience to the maximum: you may lie down or sit in a soft sofa to let this hypnotic trip percolate all the way through.

Soloists: Max Baillie & Jolente De Maeyer

This program is performed in its entirety by large string ensemble composed of members of Manchester Collective and the string orchestra BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings.

B-Classic and CC de Bogaard stir you with adventurous concerts in Truien’s prime heritage.

Lying between ancient murals, tripping on classical music and a night of pounding on Beethoven & co: the festival Beroert by B-Classic and CC de Bogaard explores adventurous paths in beautiful, ancient locations.

On Friday, Sept. 29, B-Classic lets Manchester Collective and Belgium’s BRYGGEN inspire each other for a first time. They will then descend on the mighty Friars Minor Church with compositions by Richard Strauss, the magnificent Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams and rewritten classics by Vivaldi, Bach and other masters.

Soloists: Max Baillie & Jolente De Maeyer

This program is performed in its entirety by large string ensemble composed of members of Manchester Collective and the string orchestra BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings.

“Lonely Angel” is the name of the meditation for violin and strings by Latvian tone poet Pēteris Vasks. The starting point for Vasks was the vision of an angel flying over the world, pondering the state of the earth with tears in his eyes. But an almost imperceptible loving touch of his wings provides hope and healing. This guardian angel is the starting point for Musica Divina 2023’s festival story: Caring for One Another.

Soloist: Jolente De Maeyer

BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings performs music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell topped with a dose of Scandinavian folk in the communities surrounding Bruges.

‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi is perhaps one of the most famous classical music pieces of all time. Some swear sacredly by their timeless genius, others view them as ‘overplayed’. British composer Max Richter – known for his cinematic and minimalist music – felt impelled several years ago to take a new approach to this masterpiece. Richter left out as much as 75% of the original score. The other 25% he spun through a kind of minimalist, layered looping.
The result is ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter’.

‘The Four Seasons’ by Vivaldi is perhaps one of the most famous classical music pieces of all time. Some swear sacredly by their timeless genius, others view them as ‘overplayed’. British composer Max Richter – known for his cinematic and minimalist music – felt impelled several years ago to take a new approach to this masterpiece. Richter left out as much as 75% of the original score. The other 25% he spun through a kind of minimalist, layered looping.
The result is ‘Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter’.

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

Anyone who has already seen Waltz with Bashir on the big screen knows what an overwhelming experience the film is. With his unique, animated documentary, director Ari Folman is rooting in his own past and memories of the Lebanese civil war. Through conversations with his army comrades, the horrors of the time very gradually seep back in. Waltz with Bashir pushed the boundaries of genre, winning film award after film award: a Golden Globe, a César, and also… a European Film Award for Max Richter’s haunting soundtrack. Rightly so, because with his rarefied strings and rich synthesizer soundscapes, the British composer pumped every frame full of emotion.
BRYGGEN, under the direction of violinist Jolente De Maeyer, makes you experience this animated documentary like never before by bringing the music live to the film.

Anyone who has already seen Waltz with Bashir on the big screen knows what an overwhelming experience the film is. With his unique, animated documentary, director Ari Folman is rooting in his own past and memories of the Lebanese civil war. Through conversations with his army comrades, the horrors of the time very gradually seep back in. Waltz with Bashir pushed the boundaries of genre, winning film award after film award: a Golden Globe, a César, and also… a European Film Award for Max Richter’s haunting soundtrack. Rightly so, because with his rarefied strings and rich synthesizer soundscapes, the British composer pumped every frame full of emotion.
BRYGGEN, under the direction of violinist Jolente De Maeyer, makes you experience this animated documentary like never before by bringing the music live to the film.

Anyone who has already seen Waltz with Bashir on the big screen knows what an overwhelming experience the film is. With his unique, animated documentary, director Ari Folman is rooting in his own past and memories of the Lebanese civil war. Through conversations with his army comrades, the horrors of the time very gradually seep back in. Waltz with Bashir pushed the boundaries of genre, winning film award after film award: a Golden Globe, a César, and also… a European Film Award for Max Richter’s haunting soundtrack. Rightly so, because with his rarefied strings and rich synthesizer soundscapes, the British composer pumped every frame full of emotion.
BRYGGEN, under the direction of violinist Jolente De Maeyer, makes you experience this animated documentary like never before by bringing the music live to the film.

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

VIVA is a project of JOWest and BRYGGEN. We have two goals:
– Inspiring to make music and initiating string instruments.
– Guiding string players, orientating them, playing together,…

To make this possible, we are organising workshops, rehearsals, masterclasses,… and on Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, 2023, we will organise a celebration weekend for string players at Concertgebouw Brugge. Have you been playing for a long time, or started playing just recently? Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, March 4, 2023 – bass day
Sunday, March 5, 2023 – orchestra day

VIVA is a project of JOWest and BRYGGEN. We have two goals:
– Inspiring to make music and initiating string instruments.
– Guiding string players, orientating them, playing together,…

To make this possible, we are organising workshops, rehearsals, masterclasses,… and on Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, 2023, we will organise a celebration weekend for string players at Concertgebouw Brugge. Have you been playing for a long time, or started playing just recently? Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, March 4, 2023 – bass day
Sunday, March 5, 2023 – orchestra day

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

A compelling program featuring Strauss’ moving Metamorphosen and Liszt’s mysterious and very virtuosic concerto “Malédiction” for piano and strings, performed by pianist Nikolaas Kende. We also seek out the unique sound world of Latvian composer Peteris Vasks with Viatore.

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

BRYGGEN performs work by and with Benjamin Glorieux, Bram Stadhouders and others.
Dive with us into 10 years of B-Classic and 400 years of classical music in its most diverse forms and experience an unforgettable festival evening at the VELINX.

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

French theremin player Grégoire Blanc brings with BRYGGEN a unique program. C. Debussy’s Clair de Lune in a version for theremin and strings stands alongside works by P. Vasks, A. Pärt and Grégoire Blanc himself.

Arvo Pärt, Edvard Grieg and some Danish folk traditionals: music ranging from contemplative to infectiously dancey!

“Indispensable” and “an eye-opener,” Variety headlined about Wildness, the 2012 debut film by director and performance artist Wu Tsang. A regular house artist at Schauspielhaus Zurich and surrounded by her own collective Moved by the Motion, she produces movies, installations and performances. In 2020, a retrospective of her work was shown at Fondation Lafayette in Paris. Wu Tsang excavates hidden histories, looking for stories of marginalized groups such as migrants or the LGBTQIA+ community. She radically questions the relationship between her subject and the viewer, each time adding a performative element to her work. For her latest creation, Moby Dick, that element is rather special: a live string orchestra, BRYGGEN.

Based on Herman Melville’s book of the same name, Tsang is making a silent film using the latest virtual technologies. DJ Asma Maroof and composer Caroline Shaw take charge of the music. The original story is firmly rewritten. Tsang looks at the wider context of the voyage Moby Dick undertook; it was the period of the transatlantic slave trade, the beginning of modern capitalism and there was great unrest. Tsang rewrites the story from a postcolonial perspective.

“Indispensable” and “an eye-opener,” Variety headlined about Wildness, the 2012 debut film by director and performance artist Wu Tsang. A regular house artist at Schauspielhaus Zurich and surrounded by her own collective Moved by the Motion, she produces movies, installations and performances. In 2020, a retrospective of her work was shown at Fondation Lafayette in Paris. Wu Tsang excavates hidden histories, looking for stories of marginalized groups such as migrants or the LGBTQIA+ community. She radically questions the relationship between her subject and the viewer, each time adding a performative element to her work. For her latest creation, Moby Dick, that element is rather special: a live string orchestra, BRYGGEN.

Based on Herman Melville’s book of the same name, Tsang is making a silent film using the latest virtual technologies. DJ Asma Maroof and composer Caroline Shaw take charge of the music. The original story is firmly rewritten. Tsang looks at the wider context of the voyage Moby Dick undertook; it was the period of the transatlantic slave trade, the beginning of modern capitalism and there was great unrest. Tsang rewrites the story from a postcolonial perspective.

“Indispensable” and “an eye-opener,” Variety headlined about Wildness, the 2012 debut film by director and performance artist Wu Tsang. A regular house artist at Schauspielhaus Zurich and surrounded by her own collective Moved by the Motion, she produces movies, installations and performances. In 2020, a retrospective of her work was shown at Fondation Lafayette in Paris. Wu Tsang excavates hidden histories, looking for stories of marginalized groups such as migrants or the LGBTQIA+ community. She radically questions the relationship between her subject and the viewer, each time adding a performative element to her work. For her latest creation, Moby Dick, that element is rather special: a live string orchestra, BRYGGEN.

Based on Herman Melville’s book of the same name, Tsang is making a silent film using the latest virtual technologies. DJ Asma Maroof and composer Caroline Shaw take charge of the music. The original story is firmly rewritten. Tsang looks at the wider context of the voyage Moby Dick undertook; it was the period of the transatlantic slave trade, the beginning of modern capitalism and there was great unrest. Tsang rewrites the story from a postcolonial perspective.

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

‘Under their white feathers, swans have a tattoo of a sailing ship. With their sweetheart’s name above it, in a heart with an arrow through it. I never understood that about the arrow, Because if you shoot an arrow through someone’s heart, they will die, right? If you love someone so immensely, don’t you want them to stay forever? Can we agree on that?’

SWANS is an ode to fantasy, to music, to storytelling, to love and loss and to being able to be who you want to be. SWANS is a musical story for everyone ages seven and up, with no beginning and no end.
Writer NICO BOON created a new story with everything he knows about swans, actress HANNE STRUYF narrates and NICO STURM creates a world between dream and reality. And on the stage are nine swans: they provide the most beautiful swan music with their string instruments. Featuring music by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Max Richter and Nicholas Britell with a dose of Scandinavian folk on top!

Hanne Struyf – storyteller and actress
BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings – string orchestra in a lineup of 9 musicians
Jolente De Maeyer – musical director
Nico Boon – text
Nico Sturm – direction
Liesbet Vereertbrugghen – concept

PRODUCTION: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings in co-production with deSingel

Arvo Pärt, Edvard Grieg and some Danish folk traditionals: music ranging from contemplative to infectiously dancey!

Arvo Pärt, Edvard Grieg and some Danish folk traditionals: music ranging from contemplative to infectiously dancey!

Is there life elsewhere in the universe? How do we detect exoplanets? How do we hope to find life on exoplanets light years away? What is “TRAPPIST-1”? What do exoplanets tell us about the famous “Fermi’s Paradox”?
Benjamin Glorieux creates a new piece with BRYGGEN and a video artist.

Experience BRYGGEN on the beach in Ostend!

PROGRAM:

A. Pärt – Summa
P. Glass – Company (String Quartet No. 2)
P. Vasks – Vientulais Engelis
E. Grieg – Holberg Suite

Presentation: Vincent Verelst