Dutch National Opera & Ballet part of test pilots in April

On 16 and 18 April, Dutch National Opera & Ballet will participate as a test location in a study by the Stichting Open Nederland with two performances. Due to the limited number of maximum visitors, specially selected groups will be approached directly for the performances.

In collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Culture & Science and Public Health, Welfare & Sport, the Open Netherlands Foundation is currently preparing small-scale concerts, performances and other cultural activities intended to learn lessons from the use of rapid tests in the cultural sector. In this context, National Opera & Ballet will open its doors on Friday 16 April during a public rehearsal of Ein deutsches Requiem by the Choir of the Dutch National Opera, soloists and instrumentalists and on Sunday 18 April during the (shortened) performance Colors of Ballet by the Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet.

Purpose and procedure

In April, test pilots will be organized across the country by the Open Netherlands Foundation in collaboration with the ministries. The aim of the pilots is to investigate how the use of test certificates works in, among other things, the cultural sector. It is therefore the intention that all visitors who register for a pilot have themselves tested within 24 hours prior to the visit to the theater. In addition to the admission ticket, a negative test result must be shown at the entrance of the theater. Displaying this test result is done through an app. During the pilots, the Open Netherlands Foundation mainly looks at the organization of the test streets, the feasibility of maintaining and scanning evidence by the participating organizations and the enthusiasm among visitors to have themselves tested in advance.

Pilot performances

On April 16 the theater will open its doors once during a public rehearsal of Ein deutsches Requiem, during which the Choir of the National Opera, soloists and instrumentalists will give a preview of the concert that will be streamed live from the Concertgebouw on April 22. Tickets for the livestream can be purchased via our website. This production is also the farewell performance of Ching-Lien Wu as artistic director of the Choir of Dutch National Opera. On April 18, the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet will perform two works from Colors of Ballet. The first is a co-production with the West Australian Ballet: Architecture of Hope, a new creation by the Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma, set to music by the Italian composer Ezio Bosso, which premiered in February 2020 in Perth, Australia. The company also dances Hans van Manen's In & out.

Image: Kim Krijnen