Annual Report 2023: Participation
Education: introduction
The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra wants to expose children to the beauty of classical music from a very early age. Thanks to various educational projects children, young people and students were introduced to the world of the orchestra in 2023.
De Muziekkoffer
The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra invites kindergartners to explore the world of the orchestra. They are introduced to all the orchestra’s instruments. The children then attend a rehearsal for 15 minutes, during which they are seated close to the musicians.
School performances with accompanying classroom workshops
During the KID concerts, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra performs symphonic music combined with a captivating story, brought by talented actors: the ideal way to get acquainted with orchestral music. Each KID concert is also accompanied by separate school performances for primary schools in Ghent and Antwerp. The schools are sent an educational pack before the concert, which introduces the pupils to the activities of a professional orchestra.
De Grote Ontmoeting
The pupils experiment with the building blocks of a grand symphonic work during a classroom dance and music workshop. They are given a playful, interactive and creative introduction to a gem of the classical music repertoire by the experienced teachers of the art-educational organisation De Veerman. During a rehearsal in the Queen Elisabeth Hall, the pupils hear the orchestra perform the work. Afterwards, they have the opportunity to meet some of the musicians during a speed dating session and reflect on the concert experience in a more casual atmosphere.
De Muziekfabriek
Young people are given the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at the orchestra and discover various aspects of its operation. A music teacher takes the pupils backstage, where they are given an interactive introduction to the orchestra’s activities, the technique of music instruments, and the building blocks of the symphonic repertoire. They then attend part of a rehearsal so they can experience first-hand what a symphonic orchestra sounds like and how it works.
Backstage Buzz
The orchestra provides an adapted introduction for young people who attend the regular concerts, in the presence of a musician, the conductor or the soloist.
Family Concert
In 2023, musicians from the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra presented a family performance at AMUZ for the first time. Concertmaster Lisanne Soeterbroek put together that performance, "The Four Seasons", herself, aimed at an audience of all ages. In collaboration with theatre producer Freek De Craecker, she created a musical experience intended for young and old.
Lowering the treshold
Besides its regular concerts, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra fulfils a broad social mission. Various socio-cultural groups are introduced to classical music thanks to an extensive range of threshold-reducing projects in home base Antwerp.
opMaatorkest
In 2023, the opMaatorkest celebrated its tenth anniversary. Every year, opMaatorkest gives more than 350 children from Antwerp primary schools, mainly in socially disadvantaged and multicultural neighbourhoods, the chance to come into contact with classical music, learn to play an instrument as a group and develop their talents.
Re-Mix XXL
Re-Mix XXL is the orchestra’s annual community project, whereby various groups with and without musical antecedents are coached to share the stage during a concert in the Queen Elisabeth Hall under the baton of Paul Griffiths. Every year, the project focuses on a different musical style or theme. All the participants develop simple vocal basic material that is used to create and teach short compositions at all the organisations and associations that participate in the project. All the groups come together at the concert, contributing their own content, which Griffiths combines into a new composition.
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra Mobiel
With Antwerp Symphony Orchestra Mobiel, the orchestra targets a very specific group in our society, namely people who are physically prevented from attending regular concerts. The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra travels to various institutions with changing configurations, where they perform an accessible, adapted musical programme. This project enables people who are unable to visit a concert hall to enjoy classical music experiences.
Welcome tickets and free tickets
In the past few years, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra has focused on its collaboration with permanent partners such as the City of Antwerp, Atlas, Vrijuit, Sta-an, Recht-Op and ArmenTekort. This network is used to disseminate €4 tickets, to ensure that the widest possible audience can also enjoy the most prestigious concerts. In addition, young people, students, people with disabilities and other target groups also enjoy discounts, to lower the threshold to classical concerts as much as possible.