English
Nederlands Concertkoor
Het Nederlands Concertkoor (The Netherlands Concert Choir) has established itself as one of the largest and most important of Holland's amateur choruses to work with Dutch professional orchestras.
Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands Concert Choir has regularly performed with all the major Dutch professional orchestras including the Residentie Orkest (The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra), the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
The consistently high artistic standards achieved by the Netherlands Concert Choir over the last 15 years are largely due to the enthusiasm and professionalism of its musical director Rob Vermeulen, and its pianist and répétiteur Thom Janssen, who together form the artistic committee of the Choir.
With over 100 singers on its books, the Choir rehearses weekly, and it excels in the classical, romantic and modern repertoire for large orchestra and chorus.
Recent highlights
In September 2009 the Netherlands Concert Choir performed Britten's War Requiem with het Gelders Orkest, commissioned by the orchestra, and the Stichting War Requiem Bridge to the Future, to commemorate the Battle of Arnhem and Operation Market Garden 65 years ago. This concert was recorded by the orchestra and broadcast through the internet.
In October the ladies of the Choir performed Mahler 3 in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and its future leader Mark Albrecht.
In November 2009 the Choir was present at the opening concert of the Promenade Series of the Rotterdam Philharmonic with its new leader Yannick Nézet-Seguin.
In December 2009 the choir performed Die Schöpfung with The Hague Philharmonic (Residentie Orchestra) in The Hague with Chistopher Hogwood.
In March 2010 the choir was honoured to have been asked by the De Nederlandse Opera to perform in Dallapiccolla's Il Prigioniero in Amsterdam.
Still to come this season
Three concerts will take place in June in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, including a performance of Verdi's Requiem with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra with Yakov Kreizberg.
The Netherlands Concert Choir is delighted to present a wonderful new programme for the 2010-2011 season which includes Tippett's A Child of Our Time with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Rutter's Magnificat, Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music in a Christmas concert with the Holland Symphonia in Amsterdam and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem with The Hague Philharmonic.
Past highlights
In the past, the Netherlands Concert Choir has been honoured to work with the Residentie Orkest (The Hague Philharmonic), the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Holland Symfonia, Het Gelders Orkest and with conductors Valery Gergiev, Yakov Kreizberg, Sir Roger Norrington, Hartmut Haenchen, Paul McCreesh, Neeme Järvi, Martin Sieghart and Jaap van Zweden.
While the Netherlands Concert Choir is more accustomed to large classical orchestral performances, it has also very successfully fulfilled commissions from, among others, Paco Peña, performing his Misa Flamenca (international tour) and his Requiem (Dutch tour). In 2008 the Choir gave a one-off performance of Roger Water's opera Ça Ira in the World Forum Theatre, the Hague, for the War Child Charity, conducted by Rob Vermeulen.
Recordings
Performances are regularly broadcast by Dutch Classical Radio 4.
The Netherlands Concert Choir has also recorded CDs with, among others, het Residentie Orkest, het Orkest van het Oosten, and the Radio Kamer Filharmonie (not yet released).
Engagements and information
If you would like to hire the Netherlands Concert Choir, or would like more information about its activities and possibilities, please contact agent Vanessa Sparrow at impresariaat@nederlandsconcertkoor.nl.
Membership
The Netherlands Concert Choir welcomes new members. How do new singers join the Choir?
First, contact Elise Blesgraaf, our recruitment secretary, by e-mail or telephone: auditie@nederlandsconcertkoor.nl,
+31 (0)6 - 246 24 534.
By arrangement with Elise, you will be able to attend one or two of our Wednesday rehearsals to see if you think the choir is the right one for you. If you decide that you would like to join the Choir, you should complete an application form and send it to Elise, or give it to her at one of your trial rehearsals.
You will be invited to take a voice test on a Wednesday evening during the rehearsal break period. If you pass the voice test, you will be invited, with other applicants, to do an audition on a different day. Full details will be given to you when you apply to join.
Rehearsals are in Amsterdam, in the auditorium of the Vossius Gymnasium in Amsterdam-Zuid (near the RAI exhibition complex). The schoolyard entrance is located in the Willem Royaardsstraat. Rehearsal time is 19:30 to 22.00 hours.
Our aim is to work with the professional orchestras. Our concert season usually consists of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 projects. Members are expected to sing in all the concerts! We ask you not to miss more than two rehearsals for any one concert. If you have to miss more but would still like to take part in the concert, we will invite you to sing your part for the artistic committee (conductor and pianist).
You can see our forthcoming concerts on the concert calender page.
Artistic leadership
Rob Vermeulen, conductor
Rob Vermeulen studied choir and orchestra conducting at the Rotterdam and Arnhem Conservatories. Further training involved working with the Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists in masterclasses given by John Eliot Gardener, working with the Nederlands Kamerkoor under supervision of Uwe Gronostay, and participating in the Kirill Kondrashin masterclass for orchestra conductors.
Rob Vermeulen became the conductor of the Nederlands Concertkoor in 1993, and is responsible for the choir's artistic program. Other choirs conducted by Rob Vermeulen are the Musica Vocale in Wageningen, the Oost-Nederlands Kamerkoor in Doetinchem, and the Bachkoor Nijmegen. He has conducted the project orchestra Twintigste Eeuw since its conception in 2001. As a conductor of the Projektkoor Utrecht he realizes radio broadcasts on an annual basis. He has conducted the Groot Omroepkoor on several occasions.
Rob Vermeulen is professor of choir conducting at the Arnhem and Utrecht Conservatories.
Thom Janssen, répétiteur
Thom Janssen studied piano with Jaap Spaanderman, Jan Wijn and Herman Uhlhorn, majoring at the Conservatory of Utrecht music theory and piano. Later he specialized in Lieder accompaniment with Rudolf Jansen, Martin Isepp and Helmut Deutsch. He also studied at the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, took part in Robert Holl's international Schubert masterclass and was invited to study at the Académie Musicale de Villecroze in southern France.
Thom Janssen is a frequent guest performer at various festivals such as the Delft Chamber Music Festival and the Haaglanden Festival. Thom Janssen gives solo recitals and performs with various ensembles and orchestras. Previous positions include the membership of the Basho ensemble and the musical leadership of Opera SKON.
He has accompanied at masterclasses given by Elly Ameling, Hans Hotter, Walter Berry, and Wolfgang Holzmair, and for renowned competitions such as the Reine Elisabeth Concours in Brussels, the Mozarteum Competition in Salzburg and the Radio and Television Competition in Munich.
Thom Janssen frequently serves as judge at piano competitions such as the Steinway and Petrov Competitions in the Netherlands.
Previously a professor of piano at the Alkmaar Conservatory, Thom Janssen is now teaching at the Royal Conservatoire in Den Haag.