Culture & community

Programme developer

Music at Asylum Seeker Centres (AZC’s)

Advice on cultural policy

Communal composing

Programme developer, moderator, composition coach

Presentation of podcast series Curious Ears

Whole series of podcasts and presentations:

“Dear Jonás,
It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with you last week, as well as an opportunity to get to know you better. In between all your composing and creative ventures I hope you will spare the odd moment for a bit of moderating and facilitating. You are very good at it and your quiet, yet sharply focused mind manages to draw people successfully into an unthreatened form of reflection – a rare skill closely connected to your own personality. You will have to give me your recipe some time!“
2009, Peter Renshaw (Yehudi Mehuhin School, Guildhall School of Music)

Angklung Udjo, 2006
Keroncong Tugu, 2008

Musicaz, music at asylum seeker centres (AZC’s)

AZC’s are centres of knowledge, where we practice the art of listening to each other’s rich cultural background. Yes, more is to be learned here than at any school.

Initiated in 2012, first supported by Stichting De Vrolijkheid.
Since 2022 growing stronger as Musicaz, supported by Gemeente Utrecht, Het Wilde Westen, national and international partners, distinguished by the European Union.

  • Family choirs, nicely portrayed in this radio item
Learning an Afghan song
April 2019, we opened the National Children’s Choir Day at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam!
How many languages can you identify?
  • Weekly musical evenings in different AZC locations, regular concerts, lectures, events
Mohammed Alsamna (Palestinian National Orchestra), resident at the AZC in 2015, astonishes with his magical voice our guest Thomas Baeté (ClubMediéval, Transports Publics)
Gospel francophone
Often honoured by the visit of Walid Ben Salim and Widad Broco (N3rdistan)
Beethoven and Fairuz
“The delicate cultural balance needed for true cross-cultural musical communications, that bypasses boundaries, problematizes the idea that musicking together can automatically bypass cultural barriers”. Saskia Smith observed our sessions in 2016-17

Advice on cultural policy

For governmental institutions, art organisations, competitions, cultural events

Communal composing

An anthem composed by the whole community. A few primary schools in Utrecht created their own school song: Johan de Witt, Taalschool, De Brug.

This three-layered chorus is a cocktail of own lyrics with three melodies brought in by families at school: a Turkish (onderbouw), a Japanese (middenbouw) and a French song (bovenbouw). While the verse is carried by a famous melody from Utrecht.

2010-15, emocionantes talleres de composición y colaboraciones con el proyecto LÓVA

Troubadours van Ondiep

2010, De Rietendakschool presented their own fair of original songs, dances and acrobatics around a neighbouring medieval gate