Help us bring the boxing ring back to the Concertgebouw  

A boxing ring as a stage. A true story that hits you where it hurts. A unique and impressive opening of the Holland Festival. 

Imagine this: you take your seat in the Main Hall of the Royal Concertgebouw. The lights dim… and in the middle of the hall stands not an orchestra, but a boxing ring. Not for a match, but as the backdrop for Champion, the masterful boxing opera by Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer. A story that swings between jazz and classical, between machismo and vulnerability, between guilt and forgiveness. We are showing this not only in the Concertgebouw, but also via a live stream for a large audience in Park Frankendael. If successful, it will become a sensation that appeals to a wide audience.  

And that is precisely why we want to realize this, as a jubilee project at the start of the 80th Holland Festival.  

Support this special project

The boxing ring returns to The Concertgebouw  
Instead of adopting the acclaimed and existing Met production from New York, the Holland Festival opts for adventure: its own semi-staged European premiere. Something unique is going to happen:: the boxing ring returns to the Concertgebouw. Until 1950, boxing matches took place in the Concertgebouw for decades. In 1985, an Amsterdam boxing school celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, which provided the occasion to revive the tradition of the boxing gala one last time. Since then, no more punches have been thrown in the Great Hall. So, in 2027, a boxing ring will return to the hall for the first time since the 1980s, albeit with a different setup. Through subtle theatrical interventions, the ring transforms during the performance into a living room, a hat atelier, or a bar.    
 
“The punches sound so beautiful here” - Martijn Sanders, former director of the Concertgebouw    
 
The performance is brought to life by: 

• a top cast of soloists, some of whom, in addition to singing talent, must also have the toned body of a boxer 
• Groot Omroepkoor
• the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest
• directed by British director James Bonas 
• conductor Vincent de Kort  
  
  

A line-up that has never been brought together before.   

Why now and why at the Holland Festival

Champion requires time. Space. Attention. And a hall that is technically and symbolically right. In 2027, after much puzzle-sovling, a unique six-day windows has become available at the Concertgebouw. Just enough for setup, rehearsals, and the performance. This allows Champion to become the festive opening of the anniversary Holland Festival.  

For our 80th anniversary, this is the moment to show what the Holland Festival dares to do: go beyond the existing repertoire, engage in radical programming, and use art to tell stories that matter. With this production, we aim to tell a moving life story that touches upon urgent societal themes. To allow as many people as possible to experience it, in addition to the three evenings at the Concertgebouw, we also want to host a free livestream in a park.   

Why support is needed: an exceptional project requires exceptional resources   

Champion is not a regular production. Even by our standards, this is an exceptional project. We are creating a new, in-house production with a large, international cast, and working in one of the most beautiful venues in the country. 

The costs are exceptionally high due to:   

• transatlantic travel and accommodation for cast and artistic team  

• the long preparation time  

• the construction and dismantling of the boxing ring and theatrical elements  

• state-of-the-art technology, both in the hall and for the livestream in the park  

• a large choir, orchestra, soloists, and extras  

The festival is contributing itself with an additional investment from the regular budget and from the earmarked reserve for the 80th anniversary. But we cannot do it without the support of funds, sponsors, and private donors.  

What your support makes possible  

With your contribution:     

• we are bringing one of the most important American operas of this century to Europe for the first time  

• we are opening the Holland Festival 2027 with a production that is both artistically and socially impactful  

• we connect top international art to Amsterdam communities and beyond  

• we give a new and diverse audience access to opera  

• we are celebrating the festival's 80th anniversary with a project that shows guts  

You are helping us create a performance that will be etched in the memory of the city. 

Holland Festival turns 80 in June 2027  
Eighty years after the founding of Holland Festival, the Netherlands’ largest international multidisciplinary performing arts festival, the unifying power of the arts is more relevant than ever.  And we want to demonstrate this in various ways during our anniversary year: by diving into our rich archive, by showcasing artists new to the Netherlands and emerging artists, as well as familiar 'festival darlings', by being present in public spaces, by being visible at many different and surprising locations in and outside the city where people love to gather, and by producing and presenting a unique project!  

Will you help bring the boxing ring back to the Concertgebouw and open the 80th Holland Festival with a spectacular production? 

Support us here

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