Utrecht, 3-4 October 2011 Connecting Arts - The European Organ Festival
Connecting Arts – The European Organ Festival will present an international conference in Utrecht as part of its October 2011programme. The theme of this 2 day conference will be ‘The revival of the organ as common European cultural heritage’. The conference will be held in English.
The organ is a unique instrument that nonetheless shares the cultural values common to other musical instruments like violin or drums. It not only possesses a rich repertoire but it is frequently housed in beautiful surroundings. Each organ has its own individual character and construction. Our intention during this conference is to encourage and motivate professionals from the international arts world to discover new artistic and educational applications for the organ. We also aim to make the Connecting Arts formula known throughout Europe.
Target groups and programme
Our target groups include artists from other artistic disciplines, cultural entrepreneurs and representatives of cultural organisations and governmental institutions as well as other interested parties from throughout Europe. The conference programme will consist of lectures and case histories on interdisciplinary programming, on the educational aspects of Connecting Arts productions, and on the flexible use of existing organs from all style periods as a spur to innovative organ programming. Connecting Arts presents its festival concerts in France, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands; conference participants will be able to attend the concerts presented in Utrecht during the Dutch session of this European festival.
Conference venue
Museum Speelklok, Steenweg 6, 3511 JP Utrecht (NL)
This international conference has been made possible with support of European Commission (Culture 2007-2013), Gemeente Utrecht, Provincie Utrecht, VSB Fonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, K.F. Heinfonds, Muziekcentrum Nederland and by a donation from Joop van den Berg and Lyda Groenewegen.
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Program
Monday 3 October
9.00 Enrolment and welcome coffee/tea
10.00 Opening by Frans Brouwer, managing director of Connecting Arts – The European Organ Festival
10.15 Opening lecture: The organ’s declining position as a common European cultural heritage and possibilities to revive its artistic impact.
10.45 Lecture by Reitze Smits, artistic director of Connecting Arts – The European Organ Festival, professor of organ at Utrecht Conservatory (NL) and Lemmens Institute Leuven (BE): Interdisciplinary programming with a central position to the organ – Visions and artistic conditions
11.15 Break
11.30 Succes stories
12.00 Learning from mistakes I: problem defining and solving concerning programming, marketing and organisation of organ events (moderator: Frans Brouwer)
12.30 Walk to the nave of the Buurkerk for lunch performance
12.45 Lunch performance in the nave of the Buurkerk (Museum Speelklok): Organ and Circus (NL)
13.15 Lunch
14.00 Possibility to visit the restoration workshop of Museum Speelklok (15-30 persons)
14.45 Lecture by Dr. Kees Vuyk, philosopher, associate professor Art Policy and Management at Utrecht University (NL) and former director of the Netherlands Theatre Institute in Amsterdam: The usefulness of interdisciplinary organ performances
15.15 Success stories by Carl van Eyndhoven, carillonneur in the city of Mol (BE) and Tilburg (NL), and head of the Flemish Carillon Society (BE): The public function of the carillon as an example for future organ culture (with image/sound)
15.30 Break
15.45 Lecture by Bernard Foccroulle, organist and artistic director of Aix-en-Provence Festival (FR): A vision on the use of the organ in the 21st century I (with image/sound)
16.15 Stay and talk with the lecturers/presenters of today
17.00 Excursion to Organic Dialogue, an installation about the organ (SE) in the St Willibrordkerk
Tuesday 4 October
9.00 Enrolment and welcome coffee/tea
10.00 Success stories by Johan Luymes, artistic leader at Orgelpark, Amsterdam and organist at St. Eusebiuskerk, Arnhem (NL): Educational programming around the organ for children nowadays (with image/sound)
10.30 Success stories by Joost Langeveld, organist and musicologist at Radboud University Nijmegen (NL): Mute film and organ performances (with image/sound)
11.00 Break
11.15 Success stories:
- Albert Hoex, stage director and actor, co-founder of theatre company ‘De Plaats’ (NL): Theatre on location with the use of the organ
- Neil Wallace, programmer of Concert Hall De Doelen, Rotterdam (NL): Organ programming by a concert hall (with image/sound)
11.30 Lecture by Erkki Krohn, artistic director of Lahti Organ Festival (FIN): The interest of audiences in the organ and marketing the Connecting Arts formula
11.45 Lecture by Hans Hellsten, professor of organ at the Malmö Academy of Music (SE): The position of the organ towards other art disciplines in professional organ education – A future perspective?
12.15 Walk to lunch performance in Leeuwenbergh
12.45 Lunch performance: Organ and Football (NL) - Leeuwenbergh
13.15 Lunch
14.00 Possibility to visit the restoration workshop of Museum Speelklok (15-30 persons)
14.45 Lecture by Prof. Dr. Hans Davidsson, professor of organ at Eastman School of Music, Rochester (USA) and at the Hochschule für Künste, Bremen (DE), former dancer and former cofounder/director of GoArt, Göteborg (SE): Flexible use of existing organs from all style periods as a challenge to new programming
15.15 Learning from mistakes II: problem defining and solving concerning programming, marketing and organisation of organ events (moderator: Frans Brouwer)
15.30 Break
15.45 Success stories by Ton Simons, choreographer at Rotterdam Dance Works (NL): Mind and Matter, a successful cooperation between dance and organ (with image/sound)
16.15 Stay and talk with the lecturers/presenters of today
17.00 Climbing the Dom tower with short carillon recital by Arie Abbenes, former city carillonneur of Utrecht
20.00 Evening performance: Letters from the war front (FR) – St Willibrordkerk
Bron: Persbericht; 3 augustus 2011