On Friday 27 March, the first edition of the Codarts Orchestra Festival took place at De Doelen. It was an evening in which the versatility of Codarts students could be heard in full, with a programme spanning classical, jazz, pop and global musics.

Audiences were free to move throughout the building, discovering different ensembles and styles across multiple halls and stages. This format made it possible to gain a broad impression of musical practice at Codarts in a short space of time, where collaboration and cross-genre work play a key role.

Within the classical domain, highlights included performances by the Codarts Wind Band, which, together with the Royal Netherlands Marine Band, premiered REHAB by composition student Matthias Bodensteiner. The Codarts String Orchestra, led by Gordan Nikolić, also delivered an energetic and dynamic performance.

Alongside these orchestral programmes, there was strong representation from Pop and Global Musics. Later in the evening, the Global Musics Silk Road Ensemble performed repertoire rooted in the historical Silk Road, bringing together a range of musical traditions within a single programme. The festival concluded in the Main Hall with the Codarts Pop Orchestra under the direction of Ronald Kool, presenting a set of original works and student arrangements, performed with the energy befitting a festival finale.

The evening thus not only showcased the diversity of the programmes on offer, but also highlighted how students develop and present themselves across a wide range of musical contexts.