Spraakmakers: contemporary stories, timeless music

Animal voices

Most of us consider animals ��� or, rather, animals other than ourselves – to be lower in the hierarchy of life. But would we be able to consider animals as full-fledged members of our species? In the story Animal Voices, actress Ellen ten Damme tells a story about what would happen if we were to consider animals as our equals. Ten Damme tells this story using Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals , performed by piano duo Scholtes & Janssens. This work is widely regarded as an ode to the animal kingdom. But if you listen with contemporary ears, you will also hear something else: a hyper-current story about our interactions with non-human animals.

The way in

Abuses in the Catholic Church force many churchgoers to reflect. In The Way In, actor Lars Brinkman tells the story of a lonely Catholic believer who travels inward, to memories of his youth and the abuse in which he was involved. Brinkman tells his story using Fratres by Arvo Pärt, performed by the Berlage Saxophone Quartet. According to the deeply religious Pärt, this music expresses the eternal contrast between body and mind, between sin and forgiveness. The story about denial and recognition gains a special expressiveness with this music.

Designer babies

With new technology, tinkering with our genes has become child's play. We can shape life on earth, including our own offspring, as we wish. Be honest: who wouldn't wish for a smart and beautiful child? Yet not everyone feels equally comfortable with a humanity that can play God in this way. In Designer Babies, actress Soumaya Ahouaoui tells a provocative story about modifying our DNA and moral choices, using Maurice Ravel's String Quartet , performed by the ADAM Quartet. In a unique way - using music - Ahouaoui takes the audience along in the (counter)arguments for a life without physical defects.

The previous editions with actors such as Pierre Bokma, Ramsey Nasr, 'Ntianu Stuger and Gijs Scholten van Aschat and ensembles such as the Ragazze Quartet, Calefax Reed Quintet, Matangi Quartet and pianist Thomas Beijer were a great success.