Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland 2025

On 24 and 25 May 2025, Zeeland was once again dominated by string music during the sixth edition of the Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland. Amsterdam Sinfonietta organised the festival together with Stichting Exploitatie Grote Kerk Veere. Over two days, a varied programme unfolded, alternating between the full string orchestra, intimate chamber music and innovative collaborations.

Artistic signature

The festival clearly demonstrated what Amsterdam Sinfonietta stands for: string music of the highest calibre, performed with the intensity of chamber music and in collaboration with inspiring soloists and partners. Familiar repertoire and new perspectives went hand in hand, resulting in concerts with great expressiveness and a direct connection with the audience.

The Music Route: chamber music through Veere

The festival opened on Saturday afternoon with the now beloved Music Route through the historic centre of Veere. Spread across five special locations, musicians from Amsterdam Sinfonietta performed short chamber music concerts in varying formations, from solo to quartet and quintet.

In the Mayor’s House and the Sailor’s Room, solo repertoire and duo music for violin by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Grażyna Bacewicz, Nicola Matteis and Francesco Geminiani were performed. Antonín Dvořák’s Terzetto in C, Op. 74 was performed in the Town Hall. Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E flat major was performed on the Korenmaat, giving less frequently heard repertoire a chance to shine.

The route ended in the Kleine Kerk with Max Bruch’s String Quintet in A minor. The small-scale format and the variety of locations created an intimate atmosphere and a strong connection between music, city and history.

The Barren Land: music and dance

On Saturday evening, the Grote Kerk Veere hosted the performance Het barre land (The Barren Land), a collaboration between Amsterdam Sinfonietta and ISH Dance Collective. This multidisciplinary production powerfully combined string music and urban dance.

Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and the music of Iranian composer Farokhzad Layegh, a poignant story unfolded about decay, resilience and rebirth. The intensive collaboration between musicians and dancers resulted in a sensory and energetic performance that made a big impression on the audience and reached new audiences.

Dance workshops and talent development

The collaboration with ISH Dance Collective was given an in-depth educational component in the form of a dance workshop. On Saturday afternoon, dancer Herrold Anakotta gave a workshop at Het Akkoord in Veere for ten young dancers from MBO DANS Zuidwest-Nederland and dance school Hip Hop Avenue Vlissingen.

The participants worked on their technical and artistic skills and got to know a professional creator and other young dancers from the region. The workshop was very well received and provided space for inspiration, encounters and talent development. Later that evening, the participants attended the performance Het barre land (The Barren Land) in the Grote Kerk Veere.

Sunday morning: Essential Beethoven

The second day of the festival began with chamber music in the Zeeuwse Concertzaal Middelburg. In the programme Essential Beethoven, violinist and artistic director Candida Thompson, cellist Tim Posner and pianist David Kadouch presented a musical portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. The focus was on the piano trio Erzherzog, dedicated to Beethoven’s friend and patron Archduke Rudolf of Austria. Despite the difficult period in which it was composed, the work sounds like a piece of music full of vitality and joie de vivre. Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 3 from his early period and his last cello sonata were also performed. The combination of repertoire, commentary and performance made for a concentrated and reflective start to Sunday.

Festive finale: Formidable!

On Sunday afternoon, the festival concluded in the Grote Kerk Veere with Formidable!, a closing concert featuring baritone Thomas Oliemans and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. This programme focused on French chanson, interspersed with classical works by French composers. Chansons by Jacques Brel, Barbara, Charles Trenet and Stromae were combined with works for strings by Ravel, Rameau, Debussy and Fauré. The result was a musical journey through France in which the affinity between chanson and classical music became convincingly audible. The audience responded enthusiastically and experienced the concert as a warm and exuberant conclusion to the festival.

Audience and future

The Sinfonietta String Festival Zeeland 2025 attracted a total of 1,265 visitors, a slight increase compared to the 2024 edition. The enthusiasm of the audience and the growing popularity of the festival form a solid basis for the festival to continue to grow in the coming years into a permanent and recognisable fixture within Walcheren’s cultural offering.