After our wonderful St Patrick’s Day show, we bring you great music from Ireland again on March 27! Two acts, but completely different worlds.
NIAMH REGAN Niamh Regan from Galway writes songs that get under your skin without raising their voice. Her debut album Hemet put her straight on the radar with Choice Music Prize and RTÉ Folk Award nominations. Since then she has toured across Ireland, the UK and beyond. Her latest record Come As You Are (2024) goes even deeper. Think Lisa Hannigan, but with her own calm, hypnotic pull. Live, she holds a room in complete silence.
EPILOGUE (postpunk from Kildare)
Epilogue is one of those bands you catch just before everything explodes. They moved fast from rough, thrashy rock into a sharper post-punk sound with their latest release Carousel. Guitars that cut. Basslines that move. Drums that don’t sit still. They feel like younger cousins of Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital. The buzz in Ireland is real. This is early days, but not for long. Raw. Urgent. Right on the edge.
A classical concert among the space capsules Top musicians Anna Fedorova and Nicolas Santangelo Schwartz of the Davidsbündler Academy are taking over the Space Expo space museum in Noordwijk for one night only. This will take place on Wednesday, May 20, on the occasion of the concert ‘ Beethoven: Destination Moon’ . Amidst rockets, satellites, and the International Space Station (ISS), Space Expo will transform into a concert hall for one evening. It is the first time the museum has hosted a classical concert of this scale.
From moon mission to Beethoven
The museum was not chosen as the location for the concert by chance. “Space travel is topical. With the Artemis program, a new series of moon missions is on the horizon. The universe captures the imagination endlessly. The same applies to the beauty of classical music. During the concert ‘Beethoven: Destination Moon’ , both worlds merge for once. A unique event,” says Annelaure Cazin, co-director of the Davidsbündler Academy and producer of the performance.
Davidsbündler Academy
The Davidsbündler Academy is based in The Hague. The institute offers high-level training in classical music, particularly for pianists and string players. The academy is headed by American Nicholas Santangelo Schwartz (bassist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) and renowned concert pianist Anna Fedorova from Ukraine. “Both Anna and Nicholas will perform together with five other musicians and young top talents from the Davidsbündler Academy. In addition to Beethoven, the program includes pieces by Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Mancini, and John Williams, among others. Naturally, we will conclude with an iconic piece from the Star Wars films,” Cazin continues.
Experiment Ticket sales started today via the museum’s website. For Space Expo, the concert represents an exciting and innovative experiment, says director Frédérique van Steekelenburg-van der Stelt. “As a museum, we primarily tell the story of space travel to the widest possible audience. In addition, we are a dynamic venue for a wide variety of events. A classical concert is new to us, but that is precisely why it is special.”
Space Expo is enthusiastically facilitating the Davidsbündler Academy’s initiative. “We view this as a promising cultural event that aligns seamlessly with the character and mission of our museum. Classical music introduces a new audience to space travel and creates a unique experience. The stage is literally located in the heart of the museum — a setting that brings music and space travel together in an inspiring way. I look forward to this special experience.”
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Practical information:
Concert date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 Reception: 7:00 PM Concert starts: 7:30 PM End of concert: 9:30 PM
Location: Space Expo Space Museum Keplerlaan 3 2201 AZ Noordwijk
Program:
H. Mancini / A. Fedorova – Moon river – dreams
A. Scriabin – 2 poems – Alicia – dreams of flying towards the stars
A. Vivaldi – Sonata n.12 in D minor La Follia – preparations for leaving earth
O. Mustonen – Toccata – into the space
D. Scarlatti – Sonata in D minor – zero gravity
L. v. Beethoven – Piano Sonata No.14 ‘Moonlight’ – orbiting the Earth
– BREAK –
L. v. Beethoven – String Trio Op. 9 No. 3, II – the void
B. Fedorov – Dedication – looking back at humanity on earth with fear, terror and hope
P. Vasks – Castillo Interior – mysterious discoveries
C. Debussy – Clair de lune – peaceful drift
A. Fedorova – Amélie Fantasia – black hole
L. v. Beethoven – Symphony No.5, I – cosmic battle
J. Williams – Star Wars – return, celebration!
Musicians:
Anna Fedorova, piano | Borys Fedorov, piano | Daniel Rowland, violin | Iryna Gintova, violin | Dana Zemtsov, viola | Maja Bogdanovic, cello | Nicholas Schwartz, double bass | Young Talents of the Davidsbündler Academy
In this program, the story of the cello unfolds, an instrument that slowly began to discover its own voice at the end of the seventeenth century. In the early and inventive sonatas by Domenico Galli, the first step towards an independent, expressive role for the instrument is heard.
With the music of Antonio Vivaldi, that voice further develops into a rich and virtuosic language, full of lyricism, energy, and dramatic power. Between these musical lines, the lively Italian style of F. Geminiani also sounds, making the freedom and imagination of the Baroque audible. These works form a journey through the Italian Baroque, in which the cello, together with the violin and harpsichord, gradually develops into one of the most expressive voices of its time. This program includes Geminiani’s sparkling Vivemente H.202, a work for harpsichord in which Italian liveliness and devotion come together in a dance form.
Koos Verhage (violin), Luka Stefanovic (cello), and Leonardo Valiante (harpsichord) – three experienced musicians who play their instruments with great virtuosity. Together, they bring the rich expression of the Baroque style to life.
Tickets in advance € 17.50; youth < 25 € 10.00; At the door € 23.00
Discover the fusion of Bach and The Beatles with the Amsterdam Kameracademie! Enjoy Bach’s legendary Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and Orchestral Suite No. 2, as well as rarely performed arrangements of popular songs by The Beatles in Bach’s style.
We are a string orchestra consisting of young, talented musicians from conservatories and orchestra academies in the Randstad and warmly welcome you to our concert!
Award-winning blues rock band King King is known for its energetic live performances. With a kilt as his trademark, frontman Alan Nimmo, known from the Nimmo Brothers, leads the band with unmistakable Scottish force. Ever since their debut album Take My Hand, the band has been unstoppable.
With Alan’s signature kilt and charisma on stage, King King has built a loyal fanbase and achieved success around the world. Their music is influenced by classic blues and rock, and they have performed alongside greats such as John Mayall, Thunder and Europe. The current line-up includes Alan’s brother Stevie Nimmo on guitar and vocals, Jonny Dyke on keyboards, Jon Lodge on drums, and Zander Greenshields on bass.
Support: Black Bottle Riot Straight out of the Netherlands. Hard, honest and full of soul. What do they make? Rock ’n’ roll, just as it should be. Their fifth album, That’s Amore (2023), was a blazing success. In 2025, they followed it up with a powerful live album: Deliverance
For several years now, it has been a tradition at the Kloosterkerk in The Hague to enhance the vespers service on Good Friday before Easter with unexpected artistic expressions such as dance. This year, there will be no dance due to the renovation of the Kloosterkerk, but the versatile Matangi Quartet will perform during the vespers service on Good Friday, April 3rd, starting at 8:00 PM in the Kloosterkerk. Over the past twenty-five years, Matangi has become one of the most prominent ensembles in the Dutch music scene and on international stages. Fulco Timmers, leader of the Kloosterkerk, will provide accompaniment for the musical interpretation of Haydn’s “7 letzte Worte,” the seven last words of Jesus on the cross, accompanied by the reading and reflection of the accompanying texts.
Current message here and now
“The celebration of Easter is one of the highlights of the church year, in which we focus on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hold services in which we explore the meaning of Easter for the here and now, for ourselves and for the world, and express it musically and artistically,” says Fulco Timmers. He continues: “The Passion story on Good Friday, in particular, resonates deeply with timeless human experiences such as fear, betrayal, denial, and injustice. The very last words spoken by Jesus on the cross, according to the Gospels, touch upon these experiences and place them in the Light of Easter: forgiveness and the restoration of connections are possible. In this way, the message of Easter remains ever-relevant, especially in our current time—namely, the message that death and destruction never have the last word, but life and light do.”
Applicable setting
“Haydn wrote the seven last words of Jesus on the cross especially for Good Friday and originally intended them for a vespers service in the Santo Rosario church in Cadiz, Spain,” explains Harmen Alkema, one of the organizers of this service. He continues enthusiastically: “The vespers service in the Kloosterkerk places the music in the same context for which Haydn originally wrote it. The Hague-based Matangi Quartet has previously recorded this work on CD and performed it in the Netherlands and abroad. For this occasion, they are pleased to perform it again in the Kloosterkerk. You can hardly imagine a more fitting setting for this performance. Incidentally, the Matangi’s have shared the stage with top classical musicians such as Tania Kross. But they have also ventured into crossover projects with comedians Herman van Veen and Youp van ‘t Hek, with bandoneon player Carel Kraayenhof and DJ Kypski. That promises something!”
The vespers service begins on April 3rd at 8:00 PM and is free to attend. A financial contribution of any size is appreciated. Despite the renovation of the Kloosterkerk, there are ample seats available.
