{"id":6975,"date":"2026-06-29T15:02:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/scratch-messiah-zeeland-sluit-af-met-een-onvergetelijk-jubileum\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:49:01","slug":"scratch-messiah-zeeland-concludes-with-an-unforgettable-jubilee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/scratch-messiah-zeeland-concludes-with-an-unforgettable-jubilee\/","title":{"rendered":"Scratch Messiah Zeeland concludes with an unforgettable jubilee"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a standing ovation, a sold-out Sint Jacobskerk and hundreds of enthusiastic participants, a special chapter in Zeeland\u2019s musical history came to an end on Saturday 7 March 2026. The 25th edition of Scratch Messiah Zeeland<\/a> was not only a festive anniversary performance, but also the last. This brought the curtain down on an event that has brought together thousands of choral music lovers for a quarter of a century.<\/p>\n

The organisers look back with pride, gratitude and a touch of wistfulness on a day that was a highlight in every respect. Musically, organisationally and in terms of atmosphere, the anniversary edition exceeded all expectations.<\/p>\n

From nothing to Handel\u2019s masterpiece<\/h3>\n

What makes a Scratch Messiah so special is that participants learn Georg Friedrich Handel\u2019s famous oratorio *Messiah* in a single day and perform it for an audience that very same evening. The concept originated in London in the 1970s and was brought to Vlissingen in 2000 by its founder, Leo Smit. Since then, the event has become a household name in Zeeland and far beyond.<\/p>\n

Under the baton of conductor Jules van Hessen, who has been associated with the event since its very first edition, this latest performance was once again an inspiring musical experience. With his craftsmanship, humour and enthusiasm, he has managed, time and again over the past 25 years, to bring out the very best in amateur singers, professional musicians and soloists.<\/p>\n

Almost three hundred participants<\/h3>\n

The anniversary edition boasted an impressive line-up. During the day, around 290 participants rehearsed The Messiah together. Among them were approximately 240 singers, 45 orchestra members, four professional soloists and, of course, maestro Jules van Hessen.<\/p>\n

Once again, the participation of a large group of young people was a highlight. Around forty secondary school pupils from Zeeland took part in the project. They rose to the challenge of performing two of the more difficult choral sections from the oratorio. This continued a tradition that had been deliberately established in recent years to introduce young people to classical choral music and actively involve them in the event.<\/p>\n

A festive anniversary<\/h3>\n

Various additional activities were organised to mark the anniversary. On the Friday before the performance, a well-attended masterclass was held, led by two of the soloists. Both experienced participants and young singers were given the opportunity to further develop their vocal technique and prepare for the big day.<\/p>\n

Interest in the anniversary edition was enormous. The maximum number of participants had been reached well before the performance, and interest in the evening concert also proved exceptionally high. St James\u2019s Church was completely sold out and welcomed around 350 visitors.<\/p>\n

A tradition to be proud of<\/h3>\n

What began in 2000 as an ambitious initiative grew into one of Zeeland\u2019s most beloved musical events. Year after year, hundreds of singers, musicians and visitors came together to bring Handel\u2019s masterpiece to life. Many returned time and again, drawn by the unique combination of musical excellence, camaraderie and enjoyment.<\/p>\n

The Scratch Messiah Zeeland proved that classical music need not be elitist. On the contrary: the event brought together people of different ages, backgrounds and levels of experience around a single shared passion. Participants did not need to be professional musicians; enthusiasm, preparation and a love of music were the most important requirements.<\/p>\n

A fitting farewell<\/h3>\n

The fact that the 25th edition would also be the last was a conscious decision by the board. After a quarter of a century, countless successful performances and an organisation that remained healthy and vibrant, they wanted to bid farewell at the height of its success. That goal has undoubtedly been achieved.<\/p>\n

The anniversary performance in 2026 will therefore go down in history as a fitting and festive conclusion to an exceptional tradition. Many hundreds of participants and visitors will remember this day for a long time to come.<\/p>\n

Handel\u2019s music may fall silent in Vlissingen, but the memories of 25 years of Scratch Messiah Zeeland will continue to resonate.<\/p>\n

Video report of the day.<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch the full concert on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hurgronje Family Fund made a financial contribution to this event.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a standing ovation, a sold-out Sint Jacobskerk and hundreds of enthusiastic participants, a special chapter in Zeeland\u2019s musical history came to an end on Saturday 7 March 2026. The 25th edition of Scratch Messiah Zeeland was not only a festive anniversary performance, but also the last. This brought the curtain down on an event […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"","tve_custom_css":"","tve_user_custom_css":"","tve_globals":{},"tcb2_ready":0,"tcb_editor_enabled":0,"tve_landing_page":"","_tve_header":"","_tve_footer":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charity","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6975"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6977,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6975\/revisions\/6977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hurgronje.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}