With ten different performances and a film brunch packed into a full closing weekend, the 78th edition of the Holland Festival came to an end on Sunday, 29 June. The weekend was a good reflection of the entire festival, ranging from the individual opera experience From Dust, to the seven-hour theatre marathon The Seasons, and from intimate solos to Opus, the last concert on film by the 2021 assocatiate artist Ryuichi Sakamoto in Welcome to Asbestos Hall and to the overwhelming multimedia production ROHTKO with its pounding score.
Emily Ansenk, Director of Holland Festival:'This edition once again demonstrated what the Holland Festival stands for: providing a platform for artists who question and shape their times. We presented works that often combined beauty and experimentation with urgent themes. Artists from around the world offered powerful perspectives on art, freedom, loss, resistance, and vulnerability. In a world under pressure, it is essential to make space for art that confronts, consoles, and connects.'
Associate Artist Trajal Harrell: Vulnerability and Proximity
Only during the final Visit in a series of five at his temporary artist studio, was applause permitted—at Harrell’s own request. This marked the end of his long-term exploration of the Japanese dance form butoh. With this, his 18-day-long artist studio Welcome to Asbestos Hall also came to a close. In the spirit of Tatsumi Hijikata’s original Asbestos Studio, this project was devoted to artistic experimentation and encounter, including Visits, guest appearances, parties, and surprising exchanges - such as a ‘blind date’ with jazz pianist Craig Taborn, whom Harrell later called 'the pinnacle of my career.' Alongside butoh, vulnerability - distinct from victimhood - is a recurring theme in Harrell’s work. The entire project embodied courage and openness: inviting the public into the creation process and sharing work still in progress, not yet a finished performance. Both artists and audiences stepped out of their comfort zones and dove into the unknown together.
'I still believe the greatest power of art is its ability to evoke a form of proximity that cannot be measured in numbers. It is immeasurable,' said associate artist Trajal Harrell in his opening speech at the start of the festival.
This idea was a clear guiding principle throughout this year’s festival. Welcome to Asbestos Hall gave visitors a unique opportunity to get close to Harrell and his dancers, and to meet other artists such as Carolina Bianchi and former associate artist Gisèle Vienne through intimate workshops and pop-up talks. There were also intimate performances at Frascati, where artists like Ola Maciejewska, DD Dorvillier, Geumhyung Jeong, and Marc Vanrunxt presented boundary-pushing solos at the intersection of dance and visual art. Under the theme #radicalmovement, they showed how dance breaks free from conventions and tackles dance dogmas with countercurrent energy. At the Stedelijk Museum, audiences once again connected closely with Harrell during his performances Caen Amour and Sister or He Buried the Body. In a different way, The Paraorchestra fostered closeness. This orchestra, half of whose members have physical disabilities, made its Dutch debut. Chairs were removed from The Concertgebouw for a concert where the audience could walk, sit, or lie among the musicians, creating a deeply personal connection with the music and its makers. The VR opera From Dust by Michel van der Aa also offered a unique, private experience as avatars sang directly to each individual viewer.
Visually Stimulating
In addition to small and intimate productions, the festival also featured performances that fully engaged the eyes and ears. ROHTKO by Łukasz Twarkowski was a multimedia theatre trip combining art, philosophy, video projections, and pounding beats. Equally visually stimulating and large-scale—but in a completely different way—was Star Returning by Lemi Ponifasio, which presented the rituals and chants of the Chinese Yi minority in an abstract, poetic manner. Bérénice by Romeo Castellucci, featuring Isabelle Huppert, portrayed the anguish of a rejected woman in a stylized setting with spectacular costumes by fashion designer Iris van Herpen.
Encounters and New Musical Collaborations
It wasn't just audiences and creators coming together—this year also saw unique artistic collaborations across the globe. Joël Bons’ Atlas Orchestra appeared for the first time at The Concertgebouw with 40 musicians from around the world. Study for Life united musicians from Asko|Schönberg and dancers from Finland’s Tero Saarinen Company in a moving tribute to Kaija Saariaho. One Ocean brought together artists from various island nations for the first time to express the impact of rising sea levels on their homelands. In Forbidden Echoes, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performed works by and with Iranian musicians, and the opera Ring of Our Time by World Opera Lab featured artists from Iraq, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, and Northern Europe.
Female Power and Resistance
The thematic line (her)story was also a common thread this year, highlighting female voices. One of the standout productions was Carolina Bianchi’s first main-stage work. Trilogia Cadela Força Capitulo II: The Brotherhood made a deep impression on audiences and critics alike by unflinchingly examining both herself and the mechanisms surrounding rape and misogyny. Former associate artist (2021) Gisèle Vienne also took aim at patriarchal structures and sexual violence, showing how they influence perception. Extra Life portrayed a brother and sister trying to reconnect years after a traumatic experience. Choreographer Ali Chahrour paid tribute to the resilience of mothers in Lebanon in Told by My Mother, focusing on the unbearable grief they endure when losing sons to war. In Otemba – Daring Women, women rebelled: 17th-century Cornelia van Nijenrode, portrayed by Jacob Coeman, demanded financial autonomy after a disastrous marriage, while the painting’s restorer challenged colonial narratives.
A Logistically Challenging Edition
This festival faced unique logistical challenges for both audience and production. NS train strikes, difficult accessibility in The Hague -where a festival performance was held for the first time in 35 years- and in Amsterdam due to the NATO summit and the large Amsterdam 750 celebration, along with multiple rail disruptions, all posed difficulties. For the production team, ensuring that artists and sets arrived at all locations on time was a thrilling challenge.
Professionals and Educational Programmes
The Holland Festival actively fosters exchange between professionals in the performing arts. As part of the Immerse and Festival Exchange programs, around 50 international artists and curators from countries including Jordan, Rwanda, Mexico, and Japan visited the festival. Joint discussions on current themes and behind-the-scenes encounters took place. There was also an extensive educational program for school pupils and students, offering the chance to attend performances, participate themselves, and practice writing reviews under the guidance of seasoned critics.
Accessibility
The programme offered multiple ways for deeper engagement, including a wide array of introductions, post-show talks, artist-audience encounters, and pop-up conversations. Discussions and a reading club were also organized. Several program elements were freely accessible: the traditional Opera in the Park, artist encounters, and some pop-ups and performances within Welcome to Asbestos Hall. For digital accessibility, the opening performance Cyber Subin was streamed and made globally available for three days.
Watch again
On the festival website, under the section Watch & Listen Back, audiences can still access the two ZaterdagMatinees, the renewed collaboration between NTR and the Holland Festival, as well as the conversation with the associate artist, a listening evening in murmur, Craig Taborn’s concert at the BIMHUIS, and the VPRO’s programs made for TV and YouTube.