Behind the scenes

Stories

Stories

Artist in residence Bomsori Kim: 'Music is my way of making a positive difference'

In 2023, South Korean violinist Bomsori Kim made her debut with the Residentie Orkest in The Hague and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The musical click was so strong that she was almost immediately invited as artist in residence for the 2025-2026 season. 'It went completely naturally, we felt each other musically flawlessly.'

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Charlie Aptroot looks forward to new role as VVRO president

Charlie Aptroot succeeds Han Moraal, who is stepping down after fifteen aar, as chairman of the Friends of the Residentie Orkest Association (VVRO). The former mayor of Zoetermeer is obviously looking forward to it. "As a Friend of the Residentie Orkest kest, you get a look behind the scenes; I didn't know it was so much fun."

'The Residentie Orkest will always have an enriching role in our Hague community'

Twenty years ago, labor lawyer and mediator Anouk Talitsch met an orchestra member in her children's schoolyard. From then on, she and her family regularly went to concerts. Now she supports the Residentie Orkest as a member of Club RO: "The orchestra not only makes beautiful music, but also makes a valuable contribution to the community of The Hague.

A mystery unraveled

In the 120th anniversary year of the Residentie Orkest , an old folder of negatives surfaced at the well-known Hague antiquarian bookshop Colette. The photos revealed the life of a musical family from The Hague in the 1940s. And unusually, some of the photos also featured the name of the Residentie Orkest . But who was this family?

'I wouldn't want to miss my connection with the Residentie Orkest '

Sometime in the 1980s, Bart Lammers heard a piece in a London record store that touched him deeply. That's where the spark with classical music jumped over.' Once back in The Hague, he collected the entire Orchestral Fireworks series and became a regular visitor to the Residentie Orkest. Forty years later he is still closely involved, both in front of and behind the scenes.

VVRO chairman Han Moraal bids farewell

After no less than fifteen years, former attorney general Han Moraal is stepping down as president of the Friends of the Residentie Orkest (VVRO) Association. With pride he looks back on the development that the association and the orchestra have undergone in that time.

'It's great to experience how music brings people together'

When Jane Sum returned to The Hague after sixteen years abroad, she knew one thing for sure: she wanted to fully enjoy art and culture again. A free lunch concert by the Residentie Orkest made such an impression that she decided to become a Friend. 'The concert was so beautiful that I immediately introduced my sister. Now we are both Friends!

'Culture has always given us great pleasure and inspiration and I like to pass that on'

Lex Sip, an architect, has been attending the Residentie Orkest since he was a teenager . 'Over half a century of concert attendance, that creates a bond. That's why I started talking about bequeathing to the orchestra and the possibility of a named fund. That way, when I'm alive, I can do something for the orchestra that has always given and continues to give us so much.'

Ninety-year-old former viola player Ernst Wauer on his thirty years with the Residentie Orkest

The Residentie Orkest is 120 years old. Ernst Wauer, originally from Germany, lived through more than thirty years of it. Days before his 90th birthday, Wauer looks back on the "old Residentie Orkest'. "We weren't actually supposed to be 'such a cozy orchestra,' but we were."

'I hope my contribution is used where it is most needed'

Liesbeth Pezie-Baan has lived in The Hague since 1970 and is a loyal visitor to the Residentie Orkest. Out of love for art and culture, she included the orchestra in her will in 2016. With her legacy, Liesbeth hopes to contribute to the musical experience of future generations. "Music is an indispensable enrichment.

'I want to be a family member of the orchestra'

Last winter, Chloe Rooke was a coach on the TV show Maestro. This season, the conductor herself is showing and hearing how it's done. As emerging artist in residence, she is involved in everything that makes Residentie Orkest the Residentie Orkest .

A storyteller full of love for the craft

Jean-Guihen Queyras. He is a philosopher, teacher and bon vivant all in one. And he brings it all out through his cello. From baroque to notes whose ink is not yet dry, it doesn't matter. The ideal artist in residence for the Residentie Orkest.

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