Music Guide (March 2023)

CONCERTS & GIGS

Kovacs

Inspired by singers such as Betty Davis and Etta James, Dutch singer Sharon Kovacs broke through in 2014 with the single 'My Love'. Her debut album, Shades of Black, later reached number one in the Album Top 100.

Kovacs | 9 March | Melkweg

Entrée x Wilde Woorden

During Entrée x Wilde Words, three word artists and three musicians are paired together to create mesmerising new creations. Ray Fuego, Myron Hamming and Radna Fabias will perform an acoustic set with a classical musician, especially for this event.

Entrée x Wilde Woorden | 3 March | Concertgebouw

Opera Week

Attend the battle between Mozart and Salieri! During Opera Week in the Luther Museum, two operas will be performed under the artistic direction of Jeroen Sarphati, with the audience deciding for themselves which piece was the best.

Opera Week | 9 - 11 March | Luther Museum

Pa'Dam Festival

Pa'Dam is the first festival in the Netherlands dedicated to French-language music. Swiss artist Vendredi sur Mer opens Pa'Dam on 9 March at Boom Chicago. Her new album Metamorphose plays with 80s references and is both airy pop and provocative. On 16 March, the French YouTube singer Emma Peters performs at Melkweg, and the Belgian Pierre de Maere close the festival there on 29 March.

Pa'Dam | 9 - 29 March | various locations

Mary Halvorsons, Amaryllis Sextet

Mary Halvorson is an innovator of jazz guitar. She avoids clichés and creates her own style, subtly distorting the sound of her semi-acoustic guitar with electronic effects. With her Amaryllis Sextet, she mixes jazz, contemporary classical and experimental music.

Mary Halvorsons, Amaryllis Sextet | 10 March | Bimhuis

Key vocal works by Kurtág

Four dream interpreters, including mezzo-soprano Gerrie de Vries, take care of key vocal works from the oeuvre of the Hungarian contemporary-classical music composer Kurtág. Experience two song cycles with specialist Pierre-Laurent Aimard behind the piano.

Key vocal works by Kurtág | 10 March | Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Elisabeth Leonskaya

Elisabeth Leonskaja - the grande dame of the Russian piano tradition, plays Mozart's 12th Piano Concerto with strings courtesy of the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. In addition, the Georgian pianist will play Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, arranged by Michael Waterman.

Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Elisabeth Leonskaya | 12 March | Concertgebouw

Vikingur Ólafsson

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson was called the 'Icelandic Glenn Gould' by The New York Times. Ólafsson is the soloist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Grieg's early Piano Concerto, a fiery and powerful work full of dances. French conductor Stéphane Dénève also conducts Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.

Vikingur Ólafsson | 28 March | Concertgebouw

Dardust

Dario Faini, aka Dardust, is a composer, producer and pianist who has written songs for various artists. Dardust combines minimal piano sounds with modern electronic music from Northern Europe.

Dardust | 30 March | Melkweg

Toverberg

After two English-language albums, Toverberg decided it was time for a new direction into Dutch-language singer-songwriter music. The result of this is her first Dutch-language album Tranen in de Wind, a disarming album with small songs about big subjects.

Toverberg | 30 March | Theater de Roode Cinema

Mezerg

The multi-talented instrumentalist Marc Mezergue, aka Mezerg, has been part of various world music and jazz bands for 10 years. The Frenchman is a true pioneer of modern music technology and one of the most creative musicians of our time. Enjoy electronic music with rhythms that vary from funk to acid techno, keyboard improvisations, effects pedals and the theremin (an electronic instrument that you play without touching).

Mezerg | 31 March | Melkweg

CLUBBING & NIGHTLIFE

Berkan V8

Berkan V8 is a fierce and versatile DJ who has been rocking Amsterdam clubs for years. His playful and highly energetic take on house, electro, acid and breaks is leaving its mark on the city. Expect nothing but fire from Berkan behind the spaceship booth at Doka!

Berkan V8 | 3 March | Doka

Tour de Palet - Blauw (blue) in Shelter

For three years now, Palet has been a recurring highlight at Paradiso. For this edition, the most colourful party goes on tour. Enjoy clubnights four Thursdays in a row across four different clubs in Amsterdam, each themed around its own colour and its own unique genre. Their second stop is at Shelter, check out the Spotify playlist to find out what 'the colour blue' sounds like.

Tour de Palet - blauw | 11 March | Shelter

ANOTR

ANOTR is always looking for new ways to approach house music, characterised by their hypnotic and energetic beats with influences from disco, soul, funk, jazz and everything in between. On 11 March, the duo will take over the gashouder for a whopping 10-hour set.

ANOTR | 11 March | Gashouder

Womensday Weekender

Who runs the world... GIRLS - and they definitely do at Kanaal40. The still relatively new club in the Warmoesstraat is putting on a solely female-led programme on International Women's Day (9 March) until Saturday 11. Expect diverse artists from amapiano to soaring techno.

Womensday Weekender | 9 - 11 March | Kanaal40

Samuel Deep

Samuel Deep owes his successful career to humility, dedication and ambition. This led him to play in Europe's biggest clubs, such as Panorama Bar and Fabric. Enjoy house and minimal groovy sounds at this unmissable clubmight in Club Atelier.

Samuel Deep | 17 March | Club Atelier | €22,50 | buy tickets

Nightclubbing

Every Friday and Saturday night, discover your newest and hottest dance spot at Pllek! At 23:00, push the tables aside, roll out the dance floor, turn on the disco lights and lower the sound system from the ceiling. Renowned DJs from the national and international scene play a groovy mix of afro, soul, funk, disco, house and techno until the late hours.

Nightclubbing | every Friday and Saturday night | Pllek

Worakls

Worakls will demonstrate at Het Sieraad that he is one of electronic music's most gifted live artists. The Frenchman paints a musical picture like no other DJ, from classical to techhouse and waltz to heavily layered techno.

Worakls | 24 March | Het Sieraad

Afrolosjes X Gowtu

For the past eight years, Afrolosjes has also enriched Dutch audiences with a wide selection of music styles from Accra to Paramaribo. Expect respected MCs and DJs, the best afrohouse, -tech, and -beats and a lot of surprises to make it an unforgettable night.

Afrolosjes X Gowtu | Friday 24 March | Melkweg

KI/KI

Known from SPIELRAUM's queer parties, a breakthrough has been beckoning KI/KI for a while now. With her ferocious mix of trance and 90s vinyl, she is at the forefront of the rave scene. Be a part of her hard-hitting five-hour acid adventure in the infamous Warehouse Elementsrtaat.

KI/KI| 31 March | Warehouse Elementenstraat