Dive into the eclectic world of music with Residentie Orkest Den Haag as they present a series of captivating events. From the pulsating rhythms of Dutch hip-hop with Hef to the grandeur of operas by Kurt Weill and Viktor Ullmann, each event promises to be a unique confluence of tradition and innovation. Experience the emotional depth of Florence Price’s symphonies and the thrilling melodies from iconic films like 'How to Train Your Dragon'. Join us on this melodic journey that transcends cultural and historical boundaries.

Harmonizing Cultures: A Journey Through Music and History with Residentie Orkest

The 2025 season of Residentie Orkest Den Haag promises a journey through stirring symphonies, poignant reflections on history, and cinematic concerts. From the playful adventure of 'How to Train Your Dragon' to the haunting notes of 'Nosferatu,' this season offers a tapestry of experiences. Join us as we delve into each event, uncovering the rich narratives and diverse cultural themes that make this season a must-attend for music lovers.

Exploring the 2025 Residentie Orkest Season: A Symphony of Culture and History

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Antonín Dvořák found himself living in New York - a new world where new people arrived every day, the streets buzzed with life and the air was filled with promise. The Bohemian composer absorbed this energy and poured it into his final symphony: Symphony No. 9, better known as 'From the New World'. New influences, new styles, new ideas - the composer wove them together with his Bohemian folk roots, creating a work that transcends time and place.

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Dvořák's Symphony No. 9

Amare

There's a new New Sint in town! Sinterklaas, the good old man, could really use a night off. He's tired, his knees are sore from climbing over all those rooftops and his ears are ringing from endless children's songs. So, he's called in the help of a new Super Sint, who's a couple centuries younger and more modern. This New Sint is ready to shake things up!

Sinterklaas Concert

As Napoleon's troops laid siege to the city, Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Emperor Concerto. Beethoven himself never referred to his Piano Concerto No. 5 as such, but the moment you hear it, you'll understand where the nickname came from. The piece is grand, heroic and majestic - qualities that pianist Lucas Jussen, celebrated for his Beethoven interpretations, will bring to life for us tonight. It makes for a striking contrast to the second half of the evening: Walton's bold and dramatic Symphony No. 1.

Walton & Beethoven

Start your Sunday morning off right with music that transports you to other worlds. The quiet, heartfelt sounds of Elgar's Cello Concerto, performed by the masterful cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, will invite you to take a moment to pause and reconnect with yourself. Under the inspired direction of chief conductor Jun Märkl, we'll weave a rich tapestry of warm, expressive melodies - music that moves you and encourages you to find your own meaning within its notes.

Elgar's Cello Concerto

Music transcends time and place - and tonight, it'll take you on an unforgettable journey. The Residentie Orkest, with a full orchestra, will guide you through France, Spain and England, three countries connected by water and history. We will treat you to music brimming with emotion, from sweeping, picturesque scenes to deeply moving moments.

Elgar, Debussy & Ravel

Tonight, the Nieuwe Kerk will be filled with grand sounds - yet still maintain an intimate atmosphere. The audience will be seated around the ensemble, making the experience even more special. Enjoy some of the finest chamber music, performed by a select group of string players from our own orchestra. They'll perform two compositions by two famous composers: Brahms and Shostakovich.

Shostakovich & Brahms

Nieuwe Kerk, The Hague

Nosferatu is one of the first films to define the vampire genre. To get around copyright laws, the elegant Dracula was transformed into the monstrous Count Orlok, and plot and setting were altered. However, Stoker's widow was not to be swayed and had the film seized, except for one copy.... Guaranteed a blood-curdling movie night with live music!

Nosferatu

Paard, The Hague

One of Europe's finest choirs presents one of the most beautiful requiems ever composed - the Netherlands Radio Choir returns to The Hague for Gabriel Fauré's Requiem. This masterpiece opens the heart, with waves of emotion interspersed with gentle comfort. It's not a farewell, but a tribute to life itself: a requiem for those who live and carry on.

Fauré's Requiem

Hear and experience more at RO NOW, where we'll immerse you in the finest symphonic music. Host Christiaan Kuyvenhoven and the orchestra will share captivating musical examples and insights before the concert, offering a deeper understanding of the extraordinary compositions ahead. As for the concert itself, the music will delight, move and stay with you long after the final note. Afterwards, you're welcome to stick around in the foyer to enjoy live music and a drink on the house.

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6

Led by conductor Daniel Raiskin, the Residentie Orkest has a captivating evening in store for you. We'll be celebrating the great Dmitri Shostakovich, fifty years after his death, with his Symphony No. 6 - a fascinating work, unpredictable, ironic and sharp. But before that, you'll experience the world premiere of a new piece by Max Knigge, as well as the evocative musical world of Grieg's Piano Concerto - one of the most famous works for piano and orchestra.

Tonight, the Residentie Orkest will soar with mezzo-soprano Maria Warenberg. This Dutch opera star will bring her radiant voice to delightful arias by eighteenth-century masters: Haydn's Scena di Berenice and Rossini's Una voce poco fa from 'Il barbiere di Siviglia'. Get ready for an evening filled with musical fireworks!

A Night at the Opera

Experience musical freedom and let yourself be amazed by this unique performance of Florence Price's Third Symphony. Her rich orchestration captures both the universal power of music and a deeply personal experience. As an African-American woman composer in the 1930s American South, Price's identity profoundly shaped her work. After decades of being overlooked by the classical music establishment, she now continues to move and inspire audiences today.

An American Dream

The Hague is celebrating Prinsjesdag, and we're celebrating too! The Residentie Orkest is kicking off the new season with an exciting programme, introducing our new chief conductor as well as our new artist in residence. For this special occasion, we're presenting a vivid and enchanting programme, bringing you along to a magical swan lake, a Faustian drama and a graveyard stirring in the dead of night.

Prinsjesdag Concert

War always raises the same questions: why? What for? Shostakovich, Hartmann and Haydn asked these questions too. Their music, filled with sorrow and solace, reminds us of the past and urges us to reflect. This concert is a moment of contemplation and connection - for now, for tomorrow, forever.

Eighty Years Later

Follow Hiccup, a young Viking, and the dragon Toothless in an epic adventure filled with humor and fire-breathing action. Enjoy the film on the big screen while the Residentie Orkest , conducted by Dirk Brossé, plays the impressive music of composer John Powell live.

How to Train Your Dragon

The Concertgebouw

Two masterpieces from the 20th century form an unforgettable double bill that could not be more topical, given its similarities to today's social and political situation. Kurt Weill' s Die sieben Todsünden tells the story of sisters Anna 1 and Anna 2, who commit the seven deadly sins in seven cities to save their families. Der Kaiser von Atlantis is a gripping parable about a war machine so destructive that even death refuses to do its job unless the emperor himself is willing to die first. Composer Viktor Ullmann wrote this work in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, but was deported to Auschwitz, where he was murdered, before its premiere.

Die sieben Todsünden & Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Bundy, Heffelini or simply Hef, who doesn't know him? As one of the founding fathers of Dutch hip-hop, he is a fixture and is never left out of the conversation about who the real GOAT is. With classics such as Hefvermogen, Papierwerk, Koud and Geit, he still remains as active as in the days of Puur.

Hef with the Residentie Orkest

Atmospheric, subdued, intimate. A concert in the Nieuwe Kerk will stay with you forever. The phenomenal acoustics give the Residentie Orkest 's chamber music concerts an extra dimension. Join us on an uninterrupted journey past beautifully sounding musical works in a historic setting. Each concert features a special musical theme. Tonight, top violinist Shunske Sato returns to the Residentie Orkest with Viennese classics by Haydn and Beethoven.

Classics in the Nieuwe Kerk

The end of a war. A child's birthday party. A wall falls in the center of the city. A first kiss. The economy collapses. A new millennium. It's getting warmer. Friends die. And everyone keeps buying new mobile phones.

We Are The Lucky Ones

National Opera & Ballet

From the New World: Dvořák, Copland and Ives

Het Concertgebouw

Tonight's programme brings together three masterpieces, each with its own unique style. The first is solemn and intense, the next playful and elegant, and the last dramatic and virtuosic. The contrast between Mayer's mournful Overture , Schubert's charmingly youthful Symphony No. 3 and Brahms's emotionally profound  Violin Concerto makes for a dynamic and compelling evening. Each piece plays with shifts in dynamics and moods, and each is both intimate and powerful.

Schubert & Brahms

Led by chief conductor Jun Märkl, the Residentie Orkest pays tribute to Gustav Mahler. His impressive Symphony No. 1 is full of surprises: from the awakening of nature and a folk dance to a darkly ironic variation on Brother John and influences from Jewish klezmer music - a reflection of Mahler's cultural roots. This rich and multi-layered masterpiece forms an intriguing dialogue with the music of the brilliant yet forgotten composer Erwin Schulhoff.

Mahler's Symphony No. 1

Celebrate the most festive days of the year with the Residentie Orkest's brand-new tradition. Each year, we select one of The Hague's exceptional choirs for our Christmas performance of Handel's Messiah. This year, we're partnering with the Royal Choir Excelsior, active since 1881. They'll bring to life the story of Christ's birth, suffering, death and resurrection: comforting, jubilant, moving and - during the famous Hallelujah - cathartic.

Handel's Messiah

Experience the magic of Christmas with the Residentie Orkest in the enchanting ambiance of the Nieuwe Kerk. This year we invite you to celebrate the holidays with us at our Christmas concert. Let yourself be carried away by the rich sounds of our dynamic brass ensemble, which brings the phenomenal acoustics of the church fully to life. Together we celebrate this special time of year, filling our hearts with the sounds of Christmas.

Christmas at the Nieuwe Kerk

A sparkling tradition to welcome the new year: the Residentie Orkest's New Year's Concert. This edition is all about colour, virtuosity and French flair. Under the baton of the charismatic Mei-Ann Chen, a conductor known for her sheer passion, you'll experience an evening where festive traditions and glorious music come together. Join us in raising a glass to a wonderful new year! 

New Year's Concert 

After more than a decade, Rufus Wainwright returns to the Residentie Orkest under the banner "Oh what a world" with a grand survey of his work on the fault line between pop and classical. Soprano Danielle De Niese adds cachet to the roller coaster through his oeuvre.

Rufus Wainwright & Residentie Orkest

Classical music is best experienced live, and there's no better way to experience it than at this unique Close to Classics concert in Amare Studio. You'll be seated among the musicians of the Residentie Orkest in a 360º arrangement around the conductor. Hear what they hear, feel what they feel and experience a breathtaking musical programme right in the heart of the action. You can't get any closer to the music than this.

Close to Classics

Start your Sunday morning off right with the Residentie Orkest and conductor Otto Tausk. At this concert, Mendelssohn's playful inventiveness will meet the electrifying energy of Ravel's piano music - a programme both surprising and moving. An inspiring morning where tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

Mendelssohn & Ravel

Composers capture landscapes not with paints and brushes, but with instruments and notes. Today, you'll hear three of them bring to life the landscapes, traditions and myths of their homelands. Smetana's famous Má vlast (My Fatherland) is a tribute to his native Czech Republic. The colourful sounds of Vltava (The Moldau) are the most iconic, but the other symphonic poems likewise offer striking glimpses of the Bohemian landscape.

Smetana & Schulhoff

Chamber music at its finest - an intimate concert where strings and winds come together to shine in two masterful works. The audience will be seated around the ensemble, experiencing the music up close. Musicians from the Residentie Orkest will bring Mozart's Piano Quintet and Spohr's Nonet to life in a musical programme celebrating colour and virtuosity. These two works offer a fascinating contrast: Mozart's classical elegance and refinement versus Spohr's romantic warmth and expressiveness.

Mozart & Spohr

Anne the Cat begins her life on a ship, but everything changes when the ship breaks in two and the poor little cat loses everything she has ever known. But don't worry - from here on, her life can only get longer and happier! With lots of courage and determination, the little cat sets off on an adventure full of surprises, encounters and dreams.

Anne the Cat (4+)

An evening full of masterpieces awaits you at Amare, where the Residentie Orkest will be joined by two exceptional musical guests: the highly acclaimed conductor Elena Schwarz and world-renowned pianist Nelson Goerner. We'll explore the national identities of three composers, diving into Polish modernity, Finnish Romanticism and French sophistication.

Chopin & Sibelius

Symphonic Waltzes

Experience the timeless and deeply moving story of the St Matthew Passion. Walk alongside Jesus Christ in his final days, journeying with him through betrayal, suffering, forgiveness and redemption. Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion is a poignant tribute we perform annually in the week before Easter. It's one of the composer's longest and most complex compositions, rich in symbolism and musical splendour.

St Matthew Passion

Franz Schubert's Octet is bursting with lyricism, colour and playful energy. Composed in 1824 at the request of a Viennese nobleman who played the clarinet, it brings together strings and winds in a unique way. In this exceptional setting, with the audience seated around the ensemble, the music feels joyful and refined as well as intimate and introspective.

Schubert's Octet

You know that feeling, that your talents remain invisible next to the great achievements of others? This is how Fanny Mendelssohn and Nannerl Mozart feel very regularly! They composed music as magnificent as that of their famous brothers, but never received the attention they deserved. That is about to change - in the scintillating concert Fanny & Nannerl Take Over! the Residentie Orkest brings their music to life.

Fanny & Nannerl Take Over! (6+)

Tonight you will hear the Hague premiere of Dance – the highly acclaimed cello concerto by British composer Anna Clyne. As one of the most performed contemporary composers, she drew her inspiration from the mystical verses of Persian poet Rumi. The work’s five movements – focusing on themes such as loss, love and acceptance – demonstrate her ability to translate deep human emotions into music. Cellist Camille Thomas does full justice to the poetic power of the piece.

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony 

RO NOW Le Sacre du printemps

Antony Hermus, guest conductor and longtime friend of the Residentie Orkest, returns to The Hague for a spectacular programme that pushes the boundaries of the symphonic repertoire. The afternoon will kick off with Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams - a thrilling, breathtaking ride in a fast sports car, where brass and percussion ramp up the speed and excitement. Next up is Willem Jeths's brand-new Piano Concerto, composed for the Residentie Orkest and pianist Ellen Corver. With this work, Jeths once again proves why he is considered the godfather of Dutch composers.

Le Sacre du printemps 

Join the Residentie Orkest for an evening with a rich and compelling programme celebrating Britain-inspired music. Our regular guest conductor Richard Egarr will kick off the concert with Mendelssohn's The Hebrides, a vivid and evocative orchestral ode to the wild beauty of Scotland. Inspired by Mendelssohn's visit to the island of Staffa, it paints a musical picture of the waves crashing against the cliffs and the ruggedness of the landscape.

A British Evening

The Residentie Orkest will bring the season to a grand close at Amare with two impressive works. Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto is infused with the spirit of Finnish nature - you can see the mist rising over dark lakes, hear the echoes of deep forests and feel the biting cold of the rugged landscape in every note of this chillingly beautiful work. Artist in residence Bomsori Kim will bring the slow rhythms of nature to life with her masterful violin playing, under the baton of chief conductor Jun Märkl.

Bruckner & Sibelius

Let cellist and conductor Matthew Barley take you on a spiritual journey through sound. The concert opens with Arvo Pärt's Fratres, a meditative work that unfolds slowly, like a musical breath - each note emerging carefully from the silence. From there, Barley's own inspired improvisation and Astor Piazzolla's tango Milonga del Angel will lead us into Pärt's Festina lente, a piece of enchanting simplicity that resonates with serene beauty and spiritual depth. Pärt's music invites you to pause and listen to the spaces between the notes.

Residentie Orkest Den Haag

Dec 5, 2025

Schubert & Brahms

12 - 14 Dec, 2025

Mahler's Symphony No. 1

Dec 20, 2025

Handel's Messiah

Dec 21, 2025

Christmas at the Nieuwe Kerk

Jan 10, 2026

New Year's Concert

Nov 28, 2025

Dvořák's Symphony No. 9

22 - 23 Nov, 2025

Sinterklaas Concert

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Residentie Orkest Den Haag