Star pianist Yuja Wang joins the orchestra as Artist in Residence and Martha Argerich will also return. There is once again room for great repertoire: Mahler, Pijper and Rachmaninov led by chief conductor Lahav Shani, Sibelius' epic Kullervo with an eighty-strong Finnish male choir and a concertante Wagner opera with world soloists led by honorary conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Ticket sales will start on 17 August via the orchestra's website.

  

George Wiegel, general director: "Soon, the doors to our hall will finally open for real, the rows of seats will fill up and the whole stage will be filled with orchestral musicians. That moment is the beginning of the most beautiful, precious, meaningful concert season for a very long time."

 

Lahav Shani, chief conductor: "Even though we have enjoyed playing the smaller repertoire over the past year, the Rotterdam Philharmonic is primed for the big symphonic works. I am looking forward to playing the big pieces again, that is where you can really see and feel the full power of the orchestra."

 

Yuja Wang, renowned for her virtuosity and musicality, is the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra's Artist in Residence this coming season. She will be soloing in three concert programmes, starting in September with Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto conducted by chief conductor Lahav Shani. In December, she returns with Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, to close the season in May in a concert conducted by the honorary conductor Valery Gergiev. In that season finale, she will perform two solo works: Strauss' Burleske for piano and orchestra, followed by Liszt's First Piano Concerto. A tour of Europe, to Hamburg, Munich and Vienna, among other places, with the orchestra is also part of Yuja Wang's year as Artist in Residence.

 

Apart from Yuja Wang, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes a host of other star soloists in 2021-2022. Martha Argerich plays Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, Simone Lamsma solos in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and with Nicolas Altstaedt, Truls Mørk and Sol Gabetta the orchestra welcomes three of the greatest cellists of our time. Among the vocal soloists are world stars such as Karen Cargill, Tommi Hakala, Christiane Karg, Mikhail Petrenko and Michael Volle. There are also two soloists from our own ranks: bassoonist Pieter Nuytten and flutist Joséphine Olech, who will play the public premiere of the Flute Concerto by Thierry Escaich, which was composed especially for her.

 

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes major specialists: composer-conductor John Adams will be conducting his own work, maestro Jukka-Pekka Saraste is coming for a continuation of the Sibelius Festival and will be taking the epic scores of the Kullervo and Lemminkäinen with him, and baroque specialist Jonathan Cohen will be performing the Messiah, which will be performed by the Rotterdam Philharmonic for the first time in 50 years. Han-na Chang makes her debut with a complete Prokofiev programme.

 

Former chief conductor Edo de Waart will conduct a concert in honour of his 80th birthday, in which the wind section will play a starring role, and honorary conductor Valery Gergiev will conduct the closing concert of the season with Yuja Wang. Honorary conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin will perform Mahler 4 and follow up the acclaimed success of Die Frau Ohne Schatten with another concertante opera: Wagner's Das Rheingold.

 

Chief conductor Lahav Shani will conduct seven different programmes. As a conducting soloist, he can be heard in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. The great works are represented in his concerts by Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances and Mahler's First. Much attention is paid to new and little-performed repertoire: commissioned works by Thierry Escaich and Mathilde Wantenaar, the rarely heard Second Symphony by Willem Pijper for colossal orchestra, plus the First Symphony by Paul Ben-Haim and the Violin Concerto by Kareem Roustom, two Dutch premieres as part of a Remembrance Concert. With Lahav Shani, the orchestra concludes the season with a tour of Asia.

 

Ticket sales for the 2021-22 season of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will start on 17 August via their website.

 

 

Uncomfortable subjects, naked truths and unconventional perspectives: that's what Counterbodies is all about. The unique pop-up exhibition presents the work of twelve (international) female artists and can be admired in De Achtertuin in Kralingen during Art Rotterdam 2021. The body is a theme that continues to fascinate, and which has inspired each of the artists in their work. Counterbodies seeks out boundaries and breaks taboos. Curators Marth van Loeben and Vladimir Radujkov deliver both a fresh look and a high quality standard by offering established and young artists a stage. 

  

The body: an often visited and researched theme in art. It also appears to be the common denominator of Counterbodies: all art is a strong artistic interpretation of the human body - both thematically and visually. The work of twelve contemporary female artists confronts uncomfortable truths and explores unspoken subjects that have often been left untouched in the past. With this premise Counterbodies draws attention to this still controversial subject.

 

Counterbodies presents the work of twelve female artists from the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and the Crimea: Alice Lucchinelli (IT), Daleen Bloemers (NL), Guda Koster (NL), Jessica Strixner (DE), Karin Arink (NL), Kim Van Erven (NL), Kira Fröse (DE), Lizan Freijsen (NL), Margiet van Breevort (NL), Natalia Grezina (CR), Rachel de Joode (NL) and Silvia B (NL). The selected works - ranging from sculpture, photography and embroidery to various media forms - highlight different perspectives on the theme of the body.

 

Counterbodies is the brainchild of curators Marth van Loeben (connected to Chrysalid Gallery) and Vladimir Radujkov (connected to the NEON foundation). From the beginning, the cooperation was organic and unforced, both from a conceptual and aesthetic point of view. Almost immediately Marth and Vladimir recognised a common curatorial vision. This vision focuses on curating artists for whom the human body is a subject for research and experimentation. Although the intention was not there from the beginning, the choice for exclusively female artists has become an important foundation of Counterbodies.

 

Chrysalid Gallery in Rotterdam is a non-profit art foundation that aims to diversify art in the broad sense of the word - how art is created, produced, distributed and consumed. The gallery was founded by Alexey Shifman in 2016 (then called Raw Streetphoto Gallery). In the early 2020s, the gallery was transformed into Chrysalid Gallery to provide a sharper focus on conceptual and radical art. The gallery represents young and daring artists from all over Europe and gives them the space to experiment and grow. In this way the gallery strives - together with its artists - to reshape and broaden contemporary art.

 

NEON Foundation is a non-profit art and culture foundation founded in 2013 and based in Rotterdam. At the helm is artist and curator Vladimir Radujkov, who is known for co-curating projects in unconventional spaces, Living Pool, Living Pool 2.0, The Garden Project and Tropicana Fest. The goal of the NEON foundation is to generate a dialogue between artists and their audience in a visually engaging environment.

 

 

From today, brewery guests can taste the beers and order a matching dish. The menu features honest and sustainable (local) products, and the kitchen staff use three different preparation techniques: the stone oven, smoker and BBQ. In the Gastropub, the in-house brewed craft beers, innovative beer and (fruit) food combinations and beer cocktails are served and the beers can be tapped at the self-service tap tables. Guided tours and beer tastings are also organised. 

 

"I am very proud that today we can finally show our complete concept to the public. We have worked hard recently to come to this result and it is great to see that people are making plenty of reservations. The guests can experience the magic of the brewing process themselves during the brewery tour and then drink the beers and tap them themselves for an optimal experience. The beer in our brewery comes straight from the kettles and is therefore super fresh. The catering section is a real eye-catcher where we hope many people will enjoy our various food combinations. With Stadshaven Brouwerij, we have created a unique setting for the Netherlands around beer and today my dream has come true. Because something like Stadshaven Brouwerij is something I have only seen abroad. Harm van Deuren, initiator and director of the Stadshavens Brouwerij, says: "From now on, it will be in Rotterdam too."

 

Stadshaven Brouwerij is an extensive craft beer brewery, of which there are only a few in the Netherlands. With brew kettles of 4,000 litres and storage tanks of up to 12,000 litres, no less than 2 million litres of beer can be brewed per year. In terms of capacity, this places the Stadshaven brewery directly in the top 3 of the largest craft beer breweries in the Netherlands. The beers are inspired by the location of Stadshaven Brouwerij, in a 100 year old fruit warehouse, and the history of Rotterdam Fruit Port, once Europe's largest fruit port.

 

 

Over the past few months, the brewing team has developed three Fearless Fruit beers: the Kraken Blond with kiwi berry and blood orange, the Great White with grapefruit and orange and the Piranha Tripel with kumquat and mango. The design of the beers is characterised by the adventures that take place under water, which one will taste through the exotic fruit combinations. In addition, three classic Fearless Crew beers are brewed: the Pilsner, the India Pale Ale and the Tripel. All beers are bottled, canned and cask conditioned and can now be enjoyed at the brewery itself as well as at other food service establishments throughout the Netherlands. The beers are also available for sale in the Stadshaven Brouwerij shop.

 

 

The arrival of the Stadshaven brewery in the redeveloped Rotterdam Makers District contributes to the liveability, circular economy and social dynamics of the area. The Gastropub and the terrace will have room for a total of 650 guests. In the catering section, people can taste the beers brewed a few metres away and order hearty dishes. In Stadshaven Brouwerij's own words, this is a place 'where people come together and where meat and fish lovers as well as vegans get their money's worth.' The Gastropub is divided into four spaces that reflect the themes of the Fearless adventures. At the entrance, there is 'The Kraken Pub', where guests can sample the brews at the bar. There are also five 'Brew Tables' where guests can play bartender. After dinner, at 22:00, the space is transformed into 'The club' where live music is played and people can dance while enjoying a beer cocktail. 

 

 

Circularity and sustainability are also on the agenda. There are no less than 1,700 solar panels on the roof. The Stadshaven Brewery is also working together with Rainmaker, an innovative company in the field of water making, which will collect and purify the waste water so that it can be reused as brewing water. The residual waste from the brewing process, the brewers' dregs, are also put to good use. It is donated to the cows of the famous Floating Farm, the world's first floating dairy farm located less than 200 metres from the brewery. Because the cows eat the beer malt, they produce 2.5 litres more milk per day. The brewery then uses the milk again in the catering area to make cappuccinos, for example.

 

 

Paardekooper and tech start-up PackBack are introducing a smart, reusable cup system for 'on the go'. In combination with the 100% recyclable Zero Waste Cup, this user-friendly system helps the hospitality industry to take a big step towards operating in a circular manner. The integral approach contributes to preventing (litter) waste around coffee corners (company canteens), stadiums, amusement and holiday parks as well as zoos while also reducing CO2 emissions. As of 1 July, Rotterdam consumers can be the first to experience the convenience of this sustainable cup system.

 

What is unique is that, thanks to a patented design, the cup requires little material, is well insulated and is 100% recyclable. The cup also complies with the Single Use Plastics (SUP) legislation, the new EU regulations that will ban single-use plastic products from 3 July 2021. Styrofoam coffee cups with lids, plastic stirrers and other single-use plastic products will no longer be allowed. 

 

Fourth generation and CMO Lyanne Paardekooper: "The Dutch drink about 225 million coffees to-go each year. This integral reusable cup system helps us and our customers to take a big step from linear to circular business. A strong weapon in the fight against (litter) waste and CO2 emissions. At Paardekooper, we see recycling in combination with smart systems as the future. We are realising the system for 'on the go' together with the unique technology of circular tech start-up PackBack. With it, we can easily trace the cups in the chain with a QR code and facilitate the repayment of the deposit fully digitally."

 

The new concept helps businesses better cater to consumer demand since they are increasingly willing to go the extra mile for a better environment, and expect entrepreneurs to do the same. By opting for the Zero Waste Cup and thus for the circular pool system, consumers show their friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances that they consider it important to do their bit to create less waste. Without it costing them extra effort or money. 

 

So how does this work? The Zero Waste Cup will be available from 1 July at six coffee shops in Rotterdam: Picknick Rotterdam, Parqiet, Sajoer, Bertmans, Holy Ravioli and SLA. The participating catering businesses can be recognised by specially designed yellow posters on the door or shop window. Paardekooper and PackBack will supply the entrepreneurs behind these businesses with the necessary stock of reusable cups.