Welcome

SongCircle has won a unique place for itself in the Dutch music world. Our four singers excel in music for mixed quartet with piano and a cappella. Our repertoire extends from Beethoven to Bernstein, from Rossini to Röntgen, with some interesting excursions into the world of jazz and contemporary music.

SongCircle is a palette with four dynamic colours. The voices sometimes blend into one and sometimes contrast with one another. The singers have both subtlety and energy. At the one moment an individual voice may merge with the other three - at another it will spring forward to dominate the texture. This is ensemble chamber music with a lot of individuality.

SongCircle has a large and unusual repertoire. Not satisfied with the obvious, we are always searching for the less well-known works of the great composers. In addition we perform existing works from both the classic and non-classic repertoire in new, specially made arrangements made for us by bass-baritone Mitchell Sandler. We perform other works written especially for the group, such as Stardust in an arrangement by Sumire Nukina, Ladies and Gentlemen by Jacques Reuland and a song cycle by Mitchell Sandler on poems by Robert Graves.

The critics in the Dutch press have praised SongCircle’s recent programmes: SongCircle both attractive and many-faceted, Song recital given by SongCircle sets a high standard, North Sea Jazz Festival: commissioned work by Maarten Ornstein performed by excellent classical musicians.

The quartet performs with a number of different pianists, so that each programme has the perfect accompanist. Pianists include Maurice Lammerts van Bueren, Ben Martin Weijand, Arthur Schoonderwoerd, Vaughan Schlepp, Elizabeth Mucha, Hans Eijsackers, Ursula Dütschler and Richard Egarr. SongCircle appears regularly in Holland’s chamber music venues, including the concert series in Amsterdam’s Noorderkerk, the ‘City Hall Concerts’ in Hilversum, and the vocal music series given in ‘De Vereniging’ in Nijmegen. The singers often perform in lieder recitals sponsored by ‘Vrienden van het Lied’, and appear regularly in festivals. We were invited to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival  in a new work by bass clarinettist Maarten Ornstein, in Zwolle in the series Voices at the Blijmarkt,  and Traces of Voices in Tilburg.

SongCircle’s four singers have each proved themselves in the concert hall, both within Holland and abroad. Each of us has his or her own solo career, with conductors such as Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe, Frans Brüggen and Ed Spanjaard. And we work in some of Europe’s most important ensembles: The Netherlands Chamber Choir, The Amsterdam Baroque Choir, Collegium Vocale Ghent, and the Netherlands Radio Choir.