Gluklya in 5 x 5 x 5 – 5 years of the Van Abbemuseum Choir @ Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, NL

5 years of the Van Abbemuseum choir, 5 artists, 5 compositions for the collection

On Sunday 25 March the Van Abbemuseum choir is celebrating its fifth anniversary and from 2 p.m. it will take you on a musical tour through the museum! Five contemporary artists – Gluklya, Iris Kensmil, Cindy Moorman, Laure Prouvost and Hans de Wit – were commissioned to compose new pieces for the collection in the form of musical compositions specially for this fifth birthday. The choir is performing these pieces for the first time today. Be prepared for a surprising crossover between music and art in which each artist contributes his or her own sound, from body percussion to electronic music.

The Van Abbemuseum Choir

In 2013 a number singers founded a choir to connect music and art. In the past few years the group of singers conducted by Willy de Rooij has organized many activities related to exhibitions and programmes in the museum: from song festivals with guest musicians and choirs to collaborative works with the Nederlands Gebarenkoor (Dutch Signing Choir). These five compositions will become part of the Van Abbe collection.

Dutch Happiness Week

The celebratory performance of the Van Abbemuseum choir takes place during the Dutch Happiness Week. Introduced in 2014 following the cooperation between the Parktheater Eindhoven and Fontys Hogescholen, this initiative is aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of the theme of happiness and working together with partners on projects that promote happiness. Singing, particularly when it is related to the art in the museum, makes for an even happier choir. Volunteers who are involved, feel at home and are prepared to make the extra effort, make all the difference, both for our visitors and for each other!