Dutch Student Orchestra performs in Leiden
The Dutch Student Orchestra (NSO) brings together more than a hundred of the best student musicians in the Netherlands. On 16 February the NSO will be performing in Leiden. Two Leiden members of the orchestra give a foretaste of the concert.
Being a member of the NSO means concentrating completely on music for a whole month, Simon Toussaint (19), a student at Leiden University College explains. ‘First we rehearse for ten days on a farm in Someren, twelve hours a day. Then we perform for ten days in succession in ten cities spread throughout the Netherlands. After that we go to London for a week for another two performances.'
Young people
‘The NSO's stage performances are of an incredibly high standard,' adds Femke Hempel (21, student of Psychology). 'When you're playing with an orchestra like this to a full house, it's really very special.' An NSO concert has all the incredients for a memorable experience, Femke continues. 'An accomplished soloist and director and hundreds of students who enjoy making music together. This orchestra shows that the combination of young people and classical music can be highly successful.'
Overcome
Simon agrees. 'For me, music is one of the most beautiful things in life: you can put so much into it, all your emotions and feelings. What's even better than listening to beautiful music is making music together. When you are playing in a large orchestra with dozens of other people and many different instruments, you can be quite overcome by the sound of the music. I can get completely lost in it'
Foretaste
In the film below, cellist Simon and violinist Femke give a foretaste of the concert. The three fragments come from Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony.
Practical information
The Dutch Student Orchestra will perform in Leiden on 16 February 2017 in the Stadsgehoorzaal. Tickets are available via the website of the Stadsgehoorzaal.