Highlights
January 2026
The month of January is full of musical highlights! We have selected special concerts that showcase the best in different genres.
Agenda
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Donnie Darko (2001)
BL!NDMAN [sax] + Eric SleichimCult classic featuring a new score for saxophones, percussion and electronicsSleichim
Wed 7 Jan 2026BL!NDMAN has created a brand new score for the modern cult classic Donnie Darko. While keeping the original dialogue and the pop songs that give the film its typical eighties vibe. In an eccentric mix of supernatural science fiction and psychological drama, the sensitive, troubled teenager Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough role) experiences eerie visions after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.
A late 1980s Californian suburb is the setting for a mystery that combines adolescent uncertainty, blossoming romance, wormholes and hallucinations. The live soundtrack, featuring saxophones, percussion and electronics, transports you to a world beyond what you can see or hear. Composer Eric Sleichim: ‘Of course, the typical eighties songs remain untouched. An array of instruments will bring a tangible presence to the film’s sound.’
Presented as part of VIDEODROOM 2024, co-produced with 404 and Film Fest GentIn collaboration with
Program
Donnie Darko (2001), a film by Richard Kelly with music by Eric Sleichim
In English with Dutch subtitlesCredits
Eric Sleichim concept, dramaturgy, composition, sound design, musical direction, electric guitar, turntable, electronics
Tomas Serrien concept, dramaturgy
Ward De Ketelaere musical direction, electric guitar, turntable, electronicsBL!NDMAN[sax]:
Pieter Pellens soprano saxophone, percussion
Hendrik Pellens alto saxophone, percussion
Piet Rebel tenor saxophone, percussion
Sebastiaan Cooman baritone saxophone, percussion -
Heiner Goebbels’ Walden
Ensemble Klang, Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop + Keir NeuringerTheatrical nature music like a rustling forestGoebbels, Rezaei
Thu 8 Jan 2026Walden by Heiner Goebbels, the enfant terrible of German music theatre, draws inspiration from the philosophies of American writer Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, who lived in the 19th century, was a forerunner of today’s environmental movement and the concept of civil disobedience. Through Keir Neuringer’s spoken word, Thoreau’s visionary writings gain a new level of urgency.
In his Walden, Goebbels creates nine ‘environments’: nine sound worlds like the rustling forests where Thoreau sought solitude. In the roughly hour-long work, Ensemble Klang and Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop evoke different sound worlds with specially built instruments such as a 'steel cello' and bow chimes which resonate their sound through sheets of steel.
‘I have been waiting for such an effective and creative adaption of my Walden for 10 years. Ensemble Klang made it!’ - Heiner Goebbels
“Scintillating” (Het Parool)
Program
19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
By Thea Derks20.15 uur / Grote Zaal / Main program
Heiner Goebbels WaldenCredits
Ensemble Klang
Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop
Keir Neuringer spoken word -
FIBER X The Rest is Noise 2026
Zeno van den Broek, Percussions de Strasbourg + HIIIT & Lyra Pramuk & LazerGazerArtificial intelligence versus human virtuosityVan den Broek
Sat 10 Jan 2026FIBER X The Rest is Noise has become a cherished New Year’s tradition at the Muziekgebouw. An evening with cutting-edge audiovisual performances by visionary artists. This ninth edition features two shows that invite us to reflect on our relationship with forms of intelligence beyond the human. What is our place in a more-than-human reality, in which we coexist and create with living, synthetic and even spiritual entities?
Zeno van den Broek – Ways of [ ]
Five percussion robots are lined up with six of the world’s best percussionists. Can the machines learn anything from human virtuosity, and vice versa? Audiovisual artist Zeno van den Broek places his advanced technological creations between members of percussion group HIIIT and Percussions de Strasbourg for a spectacular performance of his composition Ways of [ ].Lyra Pramuk – Hymnal
Composer and multidisciplinary artist Lyra Pramuk combines the potential of the human voice with the possibilities of technology. Her genre-defying sound is rooted in improvisation, experimental techniques, and singular electronics. Her second album Hymnal (2025) explores the origins of sacred rituals and expands on the themes of her acclaimed debut Fountain (2020).LazerGazer (DJ)
LazerGazer, the alias of Damascus-born, Amsterdam-based artist Hala Namer, has evolved into an influential force within the underground club scene and beyond. Her dynamic mix of new music — from house to garage to bass — guarantees energetic, versatile sets that ignite the dancefloor.FIBER is an Amsterdam festival and platform for digital culture and experimental audiovisual performances.
Program
19:45 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre talk
20:30 / Grote Zaal
Zeno van den Broek, Percussions de Strasbourg, HIIIT Ways of [ ]21:30 / Entreehal
LazerGazer (dj)
21:50 / Grote Zaal
Lyra Pramuk presents Hymnal
22:50 / Entreehal
LazerGazer (dj)Credits
Zeno van den Broek audiovisual artist
Percussions de Strasbourg percussion
HIIIT percussion
Lyra Pramuk vocals, electronics
LazerGazer dj -
Stars from Heaven
Ives Ensemble + Keren MotseriPremieres by Richard Rijnvos and Piet-Jan van RossumRavel, Stravinsky, Rijnvos, Van Rossum, Clementi
Thu 15 Jan 2026For decades, the Ives Ensemble has been the dedicated guardian of 20th-century modernism and its contemporary offshoots. In the Thursday Evening Series, they present surprising music by unconventional composers. This season the ensemble will be performing premieres by Piet-Jan van Rossum and resident composer Richard Rijnvos. He based his new Riflesso on vocal cycles by Ravel and Stravinsky. The versatile soprano Keren Motseri will perform both this premiere of Rijnvos’ piece and the works that inspired it.
In Riflesso sull’aria, echoes of the past shimmer like stars across a musical sky. Beneath the surface, the reflection of music that Stravinsky and Ravel composed after they heard Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire shimmers. Altough Rijnvos’s echo of an echo contains not a single note by Ravel, Stravinsky or Schönberg, their presence is unmistakable. In Piet-Jan van Rossum’s music, too, the past glimmers and sparkles. He brings forgotten sounds back to life, polishing them with a new radiance.
Program
19.15 / Foyerdeck 1 / Pre-concert talk
by Frederike Berntsen20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main Program
Igor Stravinsky Trois poésies de la lyrique japonaise
Piet-Jan van Rossum woord (world premiere)
Maurice Ravel Trois poèmes de Mallarmé
Aldo Clementi Impromptu
Richard Rijnvos Riflesso sull’aria (wereldpremière)Credits
Ives Ensemble
Keren Motseri soprano -
Palestrina 500
The Tallis ScholarsAudience favourite sings radiant mass by "the prince of music"Victoria, Palestrina
Sat 17 Jan 2026Exactly 500 years ago, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, ‘the prince of music’, was born. We are celebrating this special anniversary with the British Tallis Scholars, cherished guests of the Muziekgebouw, who have who have performed here many times to great acclaim. In addition to the choral works of Palestrina, the programme features music by his Spanish counterpart, Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Tallis Scholars sang in the cathedral of Palestrina, Italy, in January 2025, to mark the 500th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Many agree: the Missa Papae Marcelli is the absolute highlight of Palestrina’s oeuvre. Despite it being only one of his over a hundred masses. He composed this mass in 1562 to honour Pope Marcellus II. Since then, the work has been anything but forgotten. This luminous, mildly polyphonic masterpiece has been performed at many papal coronations, including that of Pope Paul VI in 1963.
Program
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli
Tomás Luis de Victoria Dum complerentur
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Dum complerentur
Tomás Luis de Victoria Versa est in luctum
Tomás Luis de Victoria O sacrum convivium
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Magnificat Primi Toni
Tomás Luis de Victoria Magnificat Primi ToniCredits
The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips conductor -
Schubert according to Gerhaher
Christian Gerhaher + Gerold HuberStrong duo creates perfection and depthSchubert
Thu 22 Jan 2026Christian Gerhaher sings Schubert. That is good news. Following his marvellous Schumann performances, he now focuses once more on the repertoire of what, for many, is the greatest and most beloved Romantic song composer. Together with his regular pianist Gerold Huber, he will bring to life, through a selection of well-known and especially lesser-known songs, the world of Franz Schubert. ‘Synonymous with perfection and depth’, is how the New York Times described the duo.
‘Arguably the finest and most fascinating lieder singer working today’, wrote the British magazine Gramophone about Christian Gerhaher. And Gerold Huber deserves equal recognition. Unlike many singers who change their accompanists, Gerhaher and Huber have a steadfast partnership. Spanning thirty years and over 2500 recitals. You can hear that synergy. Always.
Program
19.30 / Foyerdeck 1 / Introduction
20.15 / Grote Zaal / Main program
Famous and lesser-known songs by Franz Schubert, including Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Schwanengesang, Im Abendrot, Nachthymne, Todesmusik, and Der Strom.Credits
Christian Gerhaher baritone
Gerold Huber piano
