On Feb. 11, BRYGGEN, along with young soloists from the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, will perform a sparkling program in Waterloo:

PROGRAM

C. Shaw. And the swallow (arr. for string orchestra)
L. Hofmann. Cello Concerto in D Major
E. Elgar. Introduction and Allegro for Strings, op. 47

On Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8, 2026, the Concertgebouw will once again be the setting for VIVA Feest!, a vibrant musical weekend for young string players of all levels. This initiative of BRYGGEN and JOWest brings children and young people together for two days of workshops, rehearsals and ensemble playing. In different groups, under the guidance of professional coaches, participants work on repertoire tailored to their level of playing. Each of the days ends with a festive performance moment for family, friends and supporters. This VIVA Feest! weekend is aimed at young violinists, violists, cellists and contrabassists ages 6 to 12 on Saturday, March 7, and young violists, violists, cellists and contrabassists ages 12 to 18 on Sunday, March 8. Registration is possible via www.viva.be.

On Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8, 2026, the Concertgebouw will once again be the setting for VIVA Feest!, a vibrant musical weekend for young string players of all levels. This initiative of BRYGGEN and JOWest brings children and young people together for two days of workshops, rehearsals and ensemble playing. In different groups, under the guidance of professional coaches, participants work on repertoire tailored to their level of playing. Each of the days ends with a festive performance moment for family, friends and supporters. This VIVA Feest! weekend is aimed at young violinists, violists, cellists and contrabassists ages 6 to 12 on Saturday, March 7, and young violists, violists, cellists and contrabassists ages 12 to 18 on Sunday, March 8. Registration is possible via www.viva.be.

four seasons changed reinterprets Max Richter’s iconic music Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons as a choreographed reflection on change, as a powerful yet vulnerable way of life. BRYGGEN not only plays, but moves throughout the performance in endlessly varying patterns. In addition to the musicians, a solo dancer dances among the strings, both acting as a counterpoint and emphasizing the emotional structure of the composition.

Richter took on the challenge of recomposing Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. After Vivaldi and Richter, the four seasons are changed again by adding a choreographic layer. Just as seasons change in nature, interpretations of art continue to change. Against conservative practices, the performance Four Seasons Changed reflects on notions of progress, change and adaptability.

In a mesmerizing evening, where dance and live music melts their boundaries, four seasons changed reminds us that in the face of change, there are always new horizons to be discovered.

CREDITS

Jolente De Maeyer, Michiel Vandevelde / BRYGGEN

Concept, musical direction, solo violin: Jolente De Maeyer
Choreography, concept, set, light: Michiel Vandevelde
Dance: Amanda Barrio Charmelo
Musicians: BRYGGEN
Music: Max Richter – Four Seasons Recomposed, Didem Coskunseven – Traveler on a Winter’s Night, part 1 and 2
Costumes: Milk of Lime

Production: BRYGGEN – Bruges Strings, Disagree. vzw
Coproduction: DE SINGEL

This project is realized with the support of the Belgian tax shelter measure via Flanders Tax Shelter.

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.

For CC Strombeek, we dive into the rich repertoire for strings with Arvo Pärt’s ‘Summa’, which captures the timbres of a string orchestra like no other. The core of the program includes two works by Edvard Grieg. The ‘Holberg Suite’ is a romantic suite for string orchestra based on Baroque dance forms. ‘Solveig’s Song’, in addition, is a song from ‘Peer Gynt’ and perhaps one of Grieg’s most iconic and beloved works. To conclude, the program returns to the origins of fiddle playing by exploring the traditional ‘fiddle’ style, with a selection of arrangements of Scandinavian folk music by the Danish String Quartet, now arranged especially for BRYGGEN.

On Saturday, May 23, 2026, BOZAR will be the setting for VIVA Feest!, a vibrant musical day for young string players of all levels. This initiative of BRYGGEN and JOWest brings children and young people together for a day of workshops, rehearsals and playing together.

In different groups, under the guidance of professional coaches, participants work on repertoire – including excerpts from some of the great cello concertos that are never missing from the final of the Queen Elisabeth Competition – that is tailored to their level of playing. The day will conclude with a festive showcase event for family, friends and supporters.

This VIVA Feest! is aimed at young violinists, violists, cellists and double bassists aged 6 to 18. If you sign up for this VIVA Feest!, you also commit to participating in the preliminary process that consists of rehearsals on Sunday mornings 1/2, 1/3, 29/3, 26/4 and 10/5 (each from 10:30 am to 13:30, exact locations in Brussels to be confirmed).

Registration is possible via www.viva.be.