News

Successful Summer Tour 2025

1 september 2025

The NJO Summer Tour 2025 has come to an end! On Thursday 31 July, the musicians gathered for the first time in Apeldoorn: a reunion for some, and lots of new connections for others. Almost immediately, the musicians threw themselves wholeheartedly into the repertoire: Anna Meredith's challenging HandsFree, compelling excerpts from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and the beloved Vorspiel and Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Together with conductor Elias Grandy, assistant conductor César Ramos, and HandsFree coaches David Ogle and Jack Ross, they sunk their teeth into these grand works. A film evening was organised to enable them to perform the story of Romeo and Juliet with even greater empathy. In between rehearsals, a flash mob was staged in the centre of Apeldoorn, where passers-by and shoppers were given a sneak preview of HandsFree.

The first concert was a great starting point: the closing concert of the annual Muziekzomer Gelderland festival. The Orpheus Theatre is filled with an enthusiastic audience, and the musicians played a beautiful concert that yielded standing ovations on several occasions. Check out this short recap of the concert for an impression! A day later, the orchestra travelled to the Concertgebouw, followed by performances at Young Euro Classic in Berlin and Kultursommer Nordhessen in Kassel. With new playing experience, repertoire mastered, friendships and memories, the orchestra returned home. What's next? On to the winter tour!