Orchestra in hospital

The musicians weren't looking out at a sea of red velvet seats, and the lights weren't going down at the start of the show. The tables and benches had been moved to the sides, and the hospital staff and visitors were sitting or standing on the floor and stairs, or hanging over the balustrades. It’s a special concert at a special location.

We enjoy sharing our love for music with people who may not be familiar with The Concertgebouw, or for whom it’s out of reach in any way. That’s why we’re playing more and more often at other locations than concert halls. Every year we give an open-air concert, each time at a different spot in Amsterdam. We’ve actually played in the UMC before, on 7 November 2019, with conductor Paavo Järvi. In August 2023, the musicians from our youth project Concertgebouworkest Young gave several concerts in the hospital.