De Badhuislezing 2025: Hoe klonk Rembrandts buurt?

Where music and inspiration converge

Rembrandt lived around the corner from Splendor for many years, on Amsterdam's Jodenbreestraat. But what role did music play in the neighborhood, on his street, and in his home at that time? In this Bathhouse Lecture, Leonore van Sloten, senior curator at the Rembrandt House Museum, will take us through the musical side of everyday life. In collaboration with Splendor musicians, we'll hear melodies Rembrandt knew and perhaps even hummed while painting.

We'll also feature virtuoso recorder player Adriana van den Bergh, as well as violin maker Hendrik Jacobs. And finally, we'll delve into the mystery of Rembrandt's "wooden trumpet"...

Extra special for Splendor members

Before the Bathhouse Lecture, you can visit the Rembrandt House Museum with your ticket. There, you'll also hear a musical preview. If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity, book a combination ticket for one of the four time slots. Don't wait too long, as the number of combination tickets is limited!

About Leonore van Sloten

Leonore studied art history at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2005, she has worked as a curator at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, where she has curated numerous exhibitions and publications on Rembrandt and related themes. In 2024, for example, she curated an exhibition on the relationship between Rembrandt and the theatre of his time. She is currently working on an exhibition on Rembrandt as a graphic artist, which will be on display in Tokyo, Japan, in the summer of 2026. Leonore also studied classical singing at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Udo Reinemann. In addition to her museum work, she has given song recitals for many years, working with regular accompanists, performing both late-Romantic repertoire and seventeenth-century lute songs.

Leonore van Sloten - senior curator Rembrandt House Museum Maarten Ornstein - bass clarinet Sarah Jeffery - recorder Mattijs van de Woerd - vocals

Rembrandt House time slots: 3:15 PM, 3:30 PM, 3:45 PM, 4:00 PM

The lecture starts in Splendor (main hall) at 5 p.m.

For more information about the Rembrandt House Museum, click here

Painting: Portrait of Adriana vanden Bergh as Euterpe, Jacob Adriaensz Backer, circa 1650 (source: City Archives)