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Netherlands

Amsterdam : Orgelpark

interior of orgelpark concert hall showing 3 instruments in one room

This repurposed building is a unique recital hall that is in the space of an art deco church designed by E.A.C. Roest in 1918. The concert hall houses five large organs, two pianos, and three novelty organs (a harmonium with celesta, a small chest organ, and a barrel organ). The carefully curated organ collection gives the concert-goer a chance to compare subtle differences in timbres across the European common practice time-space. The collection includes a 1925 Molzer (Vienna) house organ, a 2009 Verscheueren (Netherlands) built in a French Romantic Cavaillé-Coll style, a 1922 Sauer (Germany) Romantic instrument original to the church space, a 2012 Van Straten copy of a 1479 Peter Gerritsz organ from Utrecht, an Utopa Baroque Organ built by four collaborating German organ companies, and multiple smaller instruments.

They sponsor high-level research projects as well as the Orgelpark Knowledge Program geared toward enthusiastic amateurs, and organ musicology classes. They host multiple organ concerts per week in a variety of styles and ensembles, with a goal of promoting the organ outside the context of the church space. Be sure to browse their concert listings in advance - you can purchase e-tickets up to two hours in advance of a concert - the only way to view the space is to attend a program. Come for the innovative programming that spans Film Week, jazz, rock / pop concerts, and renaissance ensembles, browse their (Dutch language) organ magazine “Timbres”, and enjoy the lovely acoustic that permits each organ to be present in its best light.

While waiting for the concert to begin, enjoy a stroll in the neighboring Vondelpark with its honeycomb-shaped formal garden, sit on the second floor balcony of ‘t Blauwe Theehuis modernist round house, or have a coffee whilst overlooking the lake at the Groot Melkhuis.

Gerard Brandtstraat 26 1054 JK Amsterdam
www.orgelpark.nl
Telephone: 020 51 58 111
Email: [email protected]
Ticket prices for concerts between €12.50-€20.00
Public transit: Tram line 1, stop Jan Pieter Heijestraat. Tram 1 runs between the Central Station and the Amsterdam Lelylaan station. You can use www.9292.nl to plan your trip.