When’s the last time you actually cut yourself some slack?
Not the fake “it’s fine” you say to move on. The real thing—where you mean it. Most of us are way harder on ourselves than we’d ever be on a friend. We think it keeps us sharp. In control. But honestly? It might just be wearing us down.
In this Salon, we get into:
Where’s the line between self-compassion and just letting yourself off the hook
Why we save our worst talk for ourselves
Whether being kinder to yourself actually makes you stronger, not softer
It’s about learning to talk to yourself like someone you actually care about. Expect a slightly different kind of evening—honest, a bit uncomfortable in places, and maybe a nudge to go easier on yourself than usual.
Our Guests Marjolein van der Kruk Marjolein is an empowerment coach and leadership trainer whose work is rooted in the sciences of applied positive psychology, emotional intelligence and neurobiology.
Oscar de Grauw Oscar is a senior consultant and keynote speaker, and by his own description the first member through the door of his own movement, still learning to live out loud in public. Same house, two doors. One verb runs through all of it: choosing.
This is not a workshop with answers. It’s a space to think, feel, and connect—with yourself and others navigating similar questions.
This event is 2 hours + drink/networking. **This is a paid event, please make the payment (10 euros) here: https://bunq.me/TEDxTheHague
Impacthon is a 12-hour student challenge inviting students to tackle real, urgent problems and build solutions that actually hold up in the real world.
In this edition, participants step into an immersive narrative world where three villains represent the forces quietly working against our cities, our health, and our curiosity. They choose the theme that hits closest to home, define their own challenge, and spend the day sharpening their instincts, collaborating across disciplines, and pitching a real solution to peers and experts.
The three themes for Impacthon 2026 are:
Health & Wellbeing – tackling burnout, mental health, loneliness, and access to care
Climate & Environment – addressing waste, biodiversity loss, pollution, and sustainable living
Education & Culture – confronting unequal access to learning, representation, and knowledge
September 26, 2026 10:00 – 22:00 PLNT Leiden Open to students from all disciplines
VoxTechnik brings a live experience like never before to The Hague. During this 2.5-hour live show, the 1980s are reborn in a unique way. The four-piece live band plays exclusively 80s synth-pop, supported by compelling visuals projected onto a large circular screen. You will not only hear the original vocalists, but also see them!
This spectacle is accompanied by the fifth band member, the frontman: VoxTechnik, a robot created for one purpose only: to recreate “The Future of the Past.” The Hague is inextricably linked to Italo disco, making it the perfect place to premiere this unique show!
Internationally acclaimed solo performance combines Bach’s First Cello Suite with comedy, storytelling, and an existential crisis
What happens when an accomplished classical cellist abandons the expected formality of the recital stage and lets her inner clown take over?
On Saturday, September 19, Los Angeles-based cellist, actor, and clown Karen Hall brings her award-winning solo show, Delusions and Grandeur, to SoundHouse Den Haag for one performance only.
Part classical recital and part theatrical investigation, Delusions and Grandeur combines J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for Solo Cello with physical comedy and deeply personal storytelling. Hall gradually peels away the conventions surrounding classical performance to examine ambition, artistic identity, self-doubt, success, and the sacrifices demanded by mastery.
The result is a performance that moves freely between virtuosity and absurdity, asking what remains when an artist is separated from the instrument, expectations, and professional identity that have shaped her life.
Described by Australian Arts Review as “as irreverent as it is poignant,” the production has toured internationally and received the Outstanding Theatre Award at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Adelaide Fringe Judges’ Weekly Award for Best in Music, and Stage Raw’s award for Best Solo Performance in Los Angeles Theatre.
“Karen Hall’s work is exactly the kind of performance we want to bring to SoundHouse,” says Elizabeth Huston of Synchromie Muziek. “It is technically excellent, deeply human, and impossible to fit neatly into a single category. Classical musicians will recognize the world she is questioning, but the show is equally accessible to people who have never attended a cello recital.”
Event Information
Event:Delusions and Grandeur Artist: Karen Hall Presented by: SoundHouse Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 Time: 14:00-15:00 Venue: SoundHouse Den Haag Address:De Constant Rebecqueplein 20B, 2518 RA Den Haag Tickets: €20 general admission; €10 for students and SoundHouse members Tickets and information:Eventbrite Venue information:SoundHouse Den Haag
About Karen Hall
Karen Hall is a professional cellist, educator, actor, and clown based in Los Angeles. Her career has taken her from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to television and recording studios. She appeared on camera as the cellist on the television series Glee for four seasons and has contributed to recordings ranging from independent albums to soundtracks for Emmy-nominated productions.
Hall has performed with symphony orchestras throughout greater Los Angeles and worked with artists including Shawn Mendes, Geoff Emerick, and Yoshiki. Her solo production, Delusions and Grandeur, brings together her classical training and work in clowning, improvisation, and physical theatre. The show has toured internationally to critical acclaim, including performances at the Edinburgh, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, Hollywood, and San Diego fringe festivals.
About SoundHouse Den Haag
SoundHouse is a musician-run venue in The Hague’s Energiekwartier. Located within the DCR creative complex, it provides a home for independent artists whose work crosses genres and disciplines. SoundHouse presents concerts, workshops, research, residencies, and experimental performances in an intimate setting designed to encourage meaningful exchange between artists and audiences.
Contemporary Art Tour The Hague Fr. 25 September 7-11 PM
During HOOGTIJ you can visit more than 20 locations in the inner-city of The Hague: from white cube to underground; from established art in galleries and institutions to installations and performances in artists initiatives. Free entrance. Free tours for those who wants it.
Startlocation 6.30-7.00 PM: Quartair (Toussaintkade55). Free art tours start here at 7 PM.
Deelnemers: 1646, Atelier Ferron, Billytown + Billytown Air, Das Leben am Haverkamp, EnergieKas, Galerie Maurits van de Laar, Galerie Sophie, Kunstbar, Maldoror + Maldoror Studio, Namuso Gallery, Nest, NGO, Page Not Found, Parterretrap, Projektruimte WEST END, Quartair, Rijksmuseum Meermanno, Ruimtevaart, Sis Josip Galerie, Refunc, Stroom Den Haag, The Balcony, The Grey Space, West Testforum.
More than three decades after performing at PAARD in 1992, The Lemonheads return to The Hague on Sunday 18 October 2026.
The Lemonheads are one of the most loved and influential bands of 1990s alternative rock, known for Evan Dando’s warm vocals, melodic songwriting and laidback style. Songs including Into Your Arms and If I Could Talk I’d Tell You, together with their famous cover of Mrs. Robinson, helped establish their distinctive mix of power pop, melancholy and slacker rock.
The band return this autumn with Love Chant, their first album of new, original material in almost twenty years. Much of the album was recorded in Brazil and combines the melodic sound associated with The Lemonheads with new collaborations and influences.
For their PAARD show, the band will mix classic tracks with songs from the new album. Support comes from Dutch psychedelic rock quartet Anemone.
