Maarten van Hinte

Neo Muyanga

A dazzling gesamtkunstwerk’ and ‘whirling and imaginative music theatre’. That is how the new dance opera How Anansi freed the stories of the world was received at its world premiere in 2021. So this season Dutch National Ballet and Dutch National Opera are once again presenting the story of the inventive mythical spider Anansi on stage, with plenty of passion, verve and humour.

In this effervescent, colourful family performance, an international cast of opera soloists, musicians from diverse genres, a DJ, ballet dancers and dancers from the hiphop scene bring together a whole range of different cultures, languages, sounds and movement styles. The makers – including hiphop choreographer Shailesh Bahoran, South-African composer Neo Muyanga and librettist Maarten van Hinte – deliberately opted for a non-Western source of inspiration: the story of the spider heroine Anansi, who has taken on the task of freeing stories of the jungle from the claws of an imperious tiger. The myth originated in Ghana, then travelled with the slave ships to Suriname and the Caribbean, where the popular story of the defiant Anansi grew into an expression of covert rebellion against the plantation owners.

Director Kenza Koutchoukali and designer Dieuweke van Reij – along with the other makers – transport you alternately to the (urban) jungle and the palace of the cunning, power hungry tiger Tigri. He commands Anansi to gather all the stories of the world for him, including those about a hypnotic snake, a group of skating hornets, a vegetarian leopard and a charming princess. But the resourceful Anansi invents a ruse and outsmarts Tigri. Whereas the tiger wants to keep all the stories within the palace walls, Anansi frees them and gives them back to the world, so that everyone can enjoy them.

Nationale Opera & Ballet (Stopera)

How Anansi freed the stories of the world

Raehann Bryce-Davis

Tomasz Konieczny

Vitalij Kowaljow

Gevorg Hakobyan

Child murder, devious monks and a tsar who falls victim to madness. In his grand choral opera, the Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky deals with a theme that offers poignant parallels to today’s world: the extremes to which one man’s thirst for power can lead. The director Kirill Serebrennikov incorporates his own experiences in Russia in this highly topical production.

Boris Godunov (1552–1605) accumulates power with firm determination. But the ghosts of the past catch up with him and he ends up dying mad, abandoned and betrayed by everyone. Meanwhile, the country sinks ever deeper into a mire of corruption, intrigue and coups.

Kirill Serebrennikov, multi-talented and equally at home in the worlds of opera, theatre and film, previously surprised Amsterdam audiences with his unconventional interpretation of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz. Now he returns to present his take on Mussorgsky’s opera about political turmoil and its consequences. In Serebrennikov’s production, parallels with modern-day Russia, which is dominated by high-stake political schemes at the cost of the country’s people, will be clearly drawn.  

Leading the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, acclaimed conductor Vasily Petrenko will make his debut with Dutch National Opera. Also at his disposal is the Chorus of Dutch National Opera in full force and a top-flight cast of singers. Leading bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny, celebrated for his ability to get into the skin of his characters both vocally and in his acting, will be singing Boris Godunov for the first time.  

In other roles, much-loved singers will be returning to Amsterdam, including mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis (previously Ježibaba in Rusalka) as Marina Mnishek, bass Dmitry Ulyanov (previously Prince Galitsky/Khan Konchak in Prince Igor) as Pimen and tenor Najmiddin Mavlyanov (previously Calaf in Turandot) as Grigory.

Boris Godunov

On Sunday 11 May 2025, Dutch National Opera will present the annual Children's Chorus Festival at Dutch National Opera & Ballet. Children’s choruses from throughout the country can sign up for this day. Various workshops, such as acting and movement, are also offered during the festival. The day provides a special introduction to the art form of opera as well as a unique behind-the-scenes view. During the grand finale, the children’s choruses perform on stage along with a song developed and performed, particularly for this event. Parents and other people interested are invited to attend this festive finale.

Every week, numerous children’s choruses in the Netherlands experience the joy of singing together. Dutch National Opera would want to provide them with the opportunity to learn about all of the possibilities available at the Netherlands’ largest opera house. Discover what it’s like to sing and play with other children’s choruses on the stage of Dutch National Opera & Ballet. The very first edition of the Children’s Chorus Festival took place in 2015, and since then, about 300 children from throughout the country participated in this memorable day every year.

Registrations for children’s choruses are now open! Sign up your chorus using the form below. The fee is € 5 per member and includes festival participation, sheet music, and audio files.

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Korte omschrijving van het kinderkoor
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Children’s Chorus Festival 2025

Chekhov Trio

Resistance activist, cellist, queer – but above all the first woman ever to conduct her own symphony orchestra. In partnership with Stichting Boon en Ster, Dutch National Opera is proud to present a one-woman musical about the life and times of the fascinating Frieda Belinfante (1904-1995).

A first short version of this music theatre performance was developed in 2022 by writer Sietse Remmers, composer Frank Irving, stage director Sytske van der Ster, and actress and singer Esther Lindenbergh. Dutch National Opera felt that now was the time for an extended version with live musical accompaniment, as part of Theater Na de Dam.

Lindenbergh, who plays Frieda, will take us on a journey through Frieda’s life set to music performed by the Chekhov Trio. Over the course of 75 minutes, we will catch a glimpse of her childhood years in Amsterdam, her sexual awakening, the wartime years, her subsequent depression, and her new life in the United States, where she forged a successful career as a conductor and met the love of her life.

Voorstellings­informatie
Sung/spoken in Dutch (without surtitles)
Concept and text: Sietse Remmers
Concept and composition: Frank Irving
Concept and stage direction: Sytske van der Ster
Additional compositions, musical coordination: Leonard Evers
Costumes: Aldo Vreeburg
Design: Elian Smits
Set design: Okodi - Tess Ellis
Lighting design: Coen van der Hoeven
Dramaturgy: Céline Buren
Choreography: Aisa Lafour
Frieda Belinfante: Esther Lindenbergh
Ensemble: Chekhov Trio (Fem Devos, Emma Rhebergen, Anna Litvinenko)
Arrangements by Leonard Evers of excerpts from:
Henriette Bosmans, Cello Concerto No. 2
Robert Schumann, Cello Concerto
Leo Smit, Quintet for Flute, String Trio, and Harp
Maurice Ravel, recorded excerpt of the minuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin, performed by Walter Gieseking (1937)
Maurice Ravel, Piano Trio
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
Coproduction: Stichting Boon en Ster
Made possible with financial support from: Dutch National Opera, Fonds 21, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunsten, Fonds Podiumkunsten and Het Cultuurfonds

Frieda Belinfante

In partnership with Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera, Dutch National Opera has developed a new concert experience. Together, the companies will be touring the Netherlands with a Purcell programme centred around the short opera Dido and Aeneas. This music from more than 300 years ago is interpreted by a new generation of opera singers under the leadership of the young Baroque specialist Camille Delaforge.

Henry Purcell’s gripping drama, based on Virgil’s The Aeneid, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his love affair, thwarted by witchcraft, with the Carthaginian queen Dido. As the sails of the ship carrying Aeneas away from Carthage disappear as dots over the horizon, we hear Dido’s famous lament. “Remember me, but forget my fate”, she sings while she goes to her death, calling on those around her to remember everything about her except her tragic end.

The programme also includes Saul and the Witch of Endor (1693), another work by Purcell in which witchcraft plays a major role. The Biblical king Saul, who has issued a ban on fortune-telling, calls on a clairvoyant witch to tell him what future lies in store for him, and discovers his end is near.

Dutch National Opera, Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera are once again joining forces to create opportunities for talent development. Led by up-and-coming conductor Camille Delaforge, the talented young performers of Dutch National Opera Studio, together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the DNO Young Baroque Voices, consisting of a promising group of young conservatorium students, will be tackling Purcell’s enthralling Baroque repertoire. Delaforge will be using musicians from her own Ensemble Il Caravaggio for the basso continuo.

Performance information:
Opera in three acts (concert performance)
Sung in English
Libretto: Nahum Tate
Musical direction: Camille Delaforge
Stage direction: Rosemary Joshua
Dramaturgy: Jasmijn van Wijnen
Vocals: Dutch National Opera Studio, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Musicians of Il Caravaggio, DNO Young Baroque Voices
Co-production with Nederlandse Reisopera and Opera Zuid

Dido and Aeneas in concert

Rosemary Joshua

Camille Delaforge

Dido and Aeneas (concert performance)

Sam Carl

Eva Kroon

Marc Albrecht

Naomi Dawson

AJ Glueckert

Sara Jakubiak

Michaela Schuster

Josef Wagner

Aušrinė Stundytė

In Die Frau ohne Schatten, composer Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal created a multi-layered fairy tale about two couples in search of a meaningful new life in a cold, barren world.

The Empress, who is from the spirit world, needs to acquire a shadow. If she fails, her human lover, The Emperor, will turn to stone. Encouraged by her Nurse, she tries to obtain the shadow of The Dyer’s Wife. For both The Empress and The Dyer’s Wife, this signifies the start of a quest for the fulfilment of their desires.  

When Marc Albrecht conducted Die Frau ohne Schatten in 2008, it led to his appointment as chief conductor of Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic. When he stepped down in 2020, he had wanted to present this opera as a fitting finale to his tenure as chief conductor. Those plans had to be postponed due to the pandemic, but can now finally be executed.

The award-winning theatre and opera director Katie Mitchell is a prominent figure in the international opera world. She is known for being particularly attuned to social wrongs and inequality. At Dutch National Opera, she previously made a deep impression with her raw, realistic reading of Janáček’s Jenůfa (2018). In Die Frau ohne Schatten, The Empress’s search for a shadow is linked to the ability to have children. All grist to the mill for Mitchell, who will critically dissect the opera’s conservative ideals in her own inimitable fashion.

For Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dutch National Opera has assembled a cast of singers of the highest calibre. Acclaimed soprano Aušrinė Stundytė is making her DNO debut performing the demanding role of the Dyer’s Wife for the first time. Also making a house debut is heldentenor AJ Glueckert in the role of The Emperor. Sara Jakubiak, praised for her ‘plush-voiced, impressive soprano’, returns to DNO as his wife, The Empress. Bass-baritone Josef Wagner, who recently made a remarkable debut in Amsterdam with his perceptive and moving interpretation of The Fiddler in Humperdinck’s Königskinder (2022), will be taking on the challenging role of Barak. Last but not least, seasoned mezzo-soprano Michaela Schuster returns to Amsterdam in her signature role of The Nurse.

Die Frau ohne Schatten

Jan Turkenburg

Students from ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem are collaborating to create a special production that will be performed in an unusual space in the building of Dutch National Opera & Ballet. The members of this collective are both makers and performers. Under the guidance of director Els Mondelaers, they draw on their expertise and skills to explore not just the limitations of this location but also the possibilities it offers.

Performance information:
- With students studying Composition for Film & Theatre and Music Theatre (ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem).
- Bachelor’s in Music Theatre: Brecht Hakkema, Roos Krijgsman, Jan Turkenburg, Julia Versteeg, Fieke Westland
- Bachelor’s in Composition for Film & Theatre: Severin Salvenmoser

Labs: ArtEZ

Bushra El-Turk

The Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum (c. 1900 – 1975) is still a hugely significant figure fifty years after her death. The new music theatre performance OUM combines her influential musical universe with the story Visage retrouvé by the renowned author and director Wajdi Mouawad.

She is the face of classical Arabic music and her popularity in North Africa and the Middle East far outstrips that of even the greatest opera divas and pop stars in the West. The voice of Oum Kalthoum also has a special place in the hearts of many Dutch people with Arab roots. Director Kenza Koutchoukali and composer Bushra El-Turk have drawn inspiration from the music and poetry of Kalthoum’s songs and have joined forces with singers, actors and the musicians of the Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest to create a production that incorporates the songs in a new musical narrative. Their adaption of the book Visage retrouvé by Wajdi Mouawad forms the basis of this music theatre work, a coming-of-age story about the search for your identity, rediscovering your roots and reconciliation with a mother you thought you had lost.

Roderick Williams

Hazel Gould

David Sheppard

Paul Jameson

Rakhi Singh

Lucy Crowe

Nick Trygstad

What does it mean to have a voice? The Sound Voice Project is a compelling work that has the human voice at its heart. Using personal stories of people who have lost the power of speech, it explores the relationship between your voice and your identity. 

For this opera installation, the composer Hannah Conway worked with medical experts, professional opera singers and people with first-hand experience of losing the ability to speak. She uses innovative digital voice technology to create a moving experience in which art and science combine to reveal the beauty and fragility of the human voice. 

The installation combines music with film projections, visual art and an enthralling acoustic experience. Three raw, intimate portraits show you what life is like for people who have lost their voice, for example due to illness or a trauma. The result is an operatic experience that is both radical and moving. The impact of the Sound Voice Project is not just emotional, though; it has also prompted scientific innovation. Behind the scenes, it has inspired new developments in digital voice technology and biomedical research. In 2023, the installation received the prestigious FEDORA Digital Prize, a European award aimed at supporting innovative digital projects in opera and ballet.

The Sound Voice Project

Adam

Maggie

Christie

Eric

Anna

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Nationale Opera & Ballet (Stopera)

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Dido and Aeneas in concert