Calendar

Coming up!

Check the new calendar for more concerts here!

2024 ^

Sunday 2 June 2024, 11.00 hours – Dutch Masters
Not only the Fokker organ, but also the Dutch composer is in the spotlight during this concert. How do celebrated contemporary Dutch composers deal with the possibilities of the 31-tone organ? Various leading names in Dutch music, including Peter-Jan Wagemans, Jöel Bons and earlier Guus Janssen, sit behind the 31-tone manual for a few days, after which they write/improvise a miniature, with the assignment to create microtonal music for the Fokker organ within their own signature. In addition to these works, the 'classic' Collages (1962) by Peter Schat will be performed too.
Ere Lievonen and several composers, Fokker organ
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Sunday 14 April 2024, 11.00 hours – Die Kunst der Fuge in meantone tuning
A premiere for the Fokker organ. The young Dutch organist Laurens de Man performs Bach's majestic Kunst der Fuge for the first time on this unique instrument and therefore for the first time in the meantone tuning; the tuning that was the standard in the Renaissance. Moreover, the work that Bach never completed is given a new ending, in which both the composer and the 31-tone organ are honored. Harmonies take on an archaic purity while dissonances sound sharper and more compelling than ever. A unique concert with Bach's Kunst der Fuge, as pure as it has ever sounded before.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ

Sunday 10 March 2024, 11.00 hours – SUPERNATET
Not an organist, but a guitarist who controls the Fokker organ with his guitar. Bram Stadhouders creates his own three-dimensional sound world with his guitar and electronics. Ambient, exciting and layered, with the Fokker organ as an unshakable foundation. Simultaneously, three dancers provide a hypnotic visual component. Bram Stadhouders, one of the most versatile and adventurous guitarists of our time, does not offer a concert but an experience that puts the organ in a new (musical) light, with his new work SUPERNATET as the core of the program.
Bram Stadhouders, guitar & Fokker organ via laptop / three dancers

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Saturday 14 January 2024, 11.00 h. – Una Cintiņa plays the Fokker organ
The originally Latvian organist Una Cintina shows the fascinating world of the Fokker organ in the carefully compiled program A Midwinter Day's Dream. She plays, among other things, a wonderful English work by William Byrd in the more pure meantone tuning. She presents the work of her compatriot Imants Zemzaris, a mix of contemporary minimalism, polyphony and romantic lyricism. And she honors the Dutch composer and organist Albert de Klerk, who knew the Fokker organ well. Together with the other works, it offers a beautiful glimpse of the versatility of the 31-tone organ.
Una Cintiņa, Fokker organ
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2023 ^

Sunday 10 Dec. 2023, 11.00 hours – The wonderful world of 31-tone music
This morning, Vokalprojekt 31 brings the best examples of 31-tone music that can be performed by four singers and 31-tone organ, combined with music in meantone tuning. The 31-tone tuning produces wonderful and fascinating music in which the different voices make beautiful colors when they create harmonies together. Works from the Renaissance, early Baroque and contemporary era, which demonstrate the human voice's ability to sing microtones, are alternated during this program. With works by Vicentino, Kadar, Arend, Muenz, Badings, De Rore, Germanus, Marenzio, Van Dijk, Gesualdo.
Vokalprojekt 31 / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 8 October 2023, 11.00 hours – Back to the Sixties
Organist Ere Lievonen goes back to the 1960s; the time of flower power, Provos, the first moon landing, feminist waves and modernist architecture and art. How did the turbulent 1960s resonate in the works composed for the Fokker organ at the time? Compositions never before performed in the Muziekgebouw will be heard alongside the provocative Clusters by Peter Schat. The colorful program provides an insight into the concerts that were given in the sixties in the auditorium of the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, where the Fokker organ was located until 2000.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 4 June 2023, 11.00 hours – Pimp My Organ V
Since the revision of the Fokker organ in 2009, the instrument can be controlled by laptop. Loudspeakers were also installed later, with which additional sound sources – such as other electronic instruments or pre-recorded sound – could be added to the sound of the organ. The 'pimped up' organ is therefore an almost unlimited sound machine. Composers such as Marc Sabat and Steffen Krebber use the laptop as a modern variant of the player piano; a pianola that does not suffer from the physical limitations of a human player such as having only ten fingers and limited dexterity.
Ere Lievonen and several composers, Fokker organ
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Sunday 2023, 11.00 hours – The limits of meantone tuning
Howling wolf fifths, flawless minor thirds and Vieltönige Musik in which those dangerous fifths howl less ferociously. Welcome to the wonderful world of meantone tuning, which organist Laurens de Man and violinist Ruña 't Hart revive, thanks to the Fokker organ. Laurens de Man explains the music and helps the listener on their way. On the 31-tone organ, the music from before Bach's days – so before the now customary equal temperament – sounds as it was intended.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ / Ruña ‘t Hart, viool

Sunday 2023, 11.00 hours – Lost in meditation with Rutger Muller
Composer Rutger Muller creates calmly sliding soundscapes populated with electronically processed sounds. Because his focus is more on the color and the inner movement of the sound than on melody or harmony, his sound sculptures inspire a meditative listening attitude. Muller's work slips by without major dramatic conflicts, like a film that slowly fades; as a theatrical experience ritual with the mystical tranquility of a nature experience.
Rutger Muller, Fokker organ via laptop / Dodo Kis, recorder / Wen Chin Fu, cello

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Saturday 11 March 2023, 11.00 h. – Kurtág by organ ears
During the multi-day Kurtág Festival, organist Ere Lievonen will play works by György Kurtág and some other Hungarian composers, such as György Ligeti, on the 31-tone organ and piano. The organ plays only a supporting role in György Kurtág's oeuvre. That is quite striking, for a composer who adores Bach and has written no fewer than nine books with Játékok ("games") for piano. With this adventurous program organist Ere Lievonen nevertheless proves that the historic Fokker organ can open a special and valuable perspective on Kurtág.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 5 March 2023, 11.00 hours – Huygens’ Cosmotheoros
For guitarist Melle Weijters it has been a long-cherished wish to give a concert with the work of Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) as a theme. Weijters has already garnered admiration for his playing on microtonal guitars. Now he offers this dream show that leads from the 31-tone system to the science fiction of David Bowie's Space Oddity. The legacy of Christiaan Huygens is not only limited to the 31-tone system. He wrote Cosmotheoros, for example, in which he described life on other planets and in which the 31-tone tuning would be the sound of the universe. This thought resonates in works by Huygens and imaginative minds such as Charles Mingus and Gustav Holst.
Melle Weijters, microtonal guitars & Fokker organ - Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel
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Sunday 5 February 2023, 11.00 hours – Indian music and beyond
Join us on a musical adventure! Ere Lievonen plays with two outstanding interpreters of Indian music. Lenneke van Staalen and Heiko Dijker are also counted among the top in India itself. Indian classical music is played in harmony with the mood of the time of day. You can hear this in the tone material, atmosphere and tempo of the largely improvised music. In addition to a classic North Indian morning raga, the program also includes compositions inspired by Indian music by Clarence Barlow, JacobTV, Claude Debussy and Sinta Wullur, among others.
Lenneke van Staalen, Indian violin / Heiko Dijker, tabla / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
13.15 uur – Lecture-performance Heiko Dijker - Free entrance
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2022 ^

Sunday 11 December 2022 – Distorted Reality
Distorted Reality is a continuous phenomenon in the microtonal world of Ensemble SCALA. The music in this program varies enormously: from post minimal (Billy Alves), via uncompromisingly oriental (Giacinto Scelsi) to angular and straight (Joke Kegel). Add to this Danny de Graan's new work, Distorted Reality, which moves between modernistic and consonant. What connects all these works are the microscopic intervals, far away from the familiar classical keys. Every melody and every harmony transforms under the pressure of the prism of microtonality into a gossamer rainbow of color and sound that invites a new listening attitude. | Ensemble SCALA

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Sunday 27 November 2022 – Featuring the Quarter-tone Extended Clarinet!
The American virtuoso and energetic clarinetist Gregory Oakes presents his new 'quarter-tone extended clarinet', which was recently made especially for him. The polymicrotonal sounds that will arise between his quarter-tone clarinet and the fifth tones of the Fokker organ form the basis of this extraordinary concert. Together with Fokker organist Ere Lievonen and composer/flutist Ned McGowan, he plays a thunderous program that does not shy away from experimenting. The program includes works by Ned McGowan, Christopher Hopkins, Alan Theisen and Miika Hyytiäinen.
Gregory Oakes, quarter-tone extended clarinet / Ned McGowan, flutes / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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BY INVITATION - Sunday 9 October 2022, 11.00 h. – Ode to Leo de Vries
During this private concert, the short documentary made by the Huygens-Fokker Foundation about violinist/composer/music theorist Leo de Vries (1924-2018) will be shown for the first time. Subsequently, a number of works by Leo de Vries will be performed on Fokker organ and violin.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Sunday 9 October 2022 – In Memoriam Adriaan Fokker
On September 24, 1972 (50 years ago), Adriaan Fokker, professor of physics at Leiden University and spiritual father of the organ (with not the usual twelve but thirty-one notes per octave), passed away. His enthusiasm for this 31-tone system inspired several composers in the Netherlands in the 1950s, including Paul Christiaan van Westering, who was also the first organist of the Fokker organ. Ere Lievonen, the current first organist of the Fokker organ, pays tribute to Fokker, who himself, as an amateur composer, left a modest oeuvre to promote his unique instrument.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Sunday 10 April 2022 – Nordic Sounds
A fascinating organ tour through the Scandinavian countries. Ere Lievonen, the Finnish first organist of the Fokker organ, explores folk music and organ works from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The transition from the loving Rukous of Sibelius's contemporary Oskar Merikanto to the avant-garde works from the Livre d'orgue by Bengt Hambraeus from Sweden feels like a culture shock, but under the hands of Lievonen, some common elements could just float to the surface. The excellent violinist Jellantsje de Vries accompanies him on the traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ - Jellantsje de Vries, Hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele)

Sunday 27 March 2022, 11.00 h. & 13.30 h. – My Heart's in the Highlands
In this concert, the great organ talent Laurens de Man highlights a rather unknown side of Arvo Pärt. In Pärt's oeuvre, the organ mainly serves as an accompaniment instrument for vocal music, but in the 1980s he also composed a series of works for organ solo. Laurens de Man (1993), who has been the main organist of the Janskerk in Utrecht since 2012, excels in works such as Trivium and Annum per annum. And then De Man also gets company from two special guests.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ - Maarten Engeltjes, countertenor / Tai Murray, violin
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Sunday 13 March 2022, 13.30 h. – The microtones of Anatolia
In many styles of music, such as traditional Turkish music, a form of microtonality is a matter of course. This fits perfectly with the Fokker organ. Together with the Turkish guitarist Tolgahan Çoğulu, who developed an acoustic microtonal guitar, Fokker organist Ere Lievonen explores the world of traditional and modern Turkish music. Lievonen and Çoğulu perform folk music and new works by Cengiz Arslanpay and Ardashes Agoshian, among others.
Tolgahan Çoğulu, microtonal guitar / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
15.00 hours – Lecture-performance Tolgahan Çoğulu - Free entrance
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Sunday 13 March 2022, 11.00 h. – HyperTheremin meets HyperOrgan
The Fokker organ controlled by computers is familiar territory. But the fact that the instrument comes to life through a pair of floating hands is new. Composer Jan Bas Bollen takes electronic music combined with visuals to a new level with his HyperTheremin. Like a conductor without an orchestra, he allows the music of the organ to coincide with his own sound worlds and images. As if the grand organ has suddenly become a kind of Theremin. That offers freedom and unprecedented possibilities. In this way, Bollen gives you a hallucinatory ear wash.
Jan-Bas Bollen, Fokker organ controlled by HyperTheremin

CANCELED - Sunday 23 Januari 2022 – Huygens’ Cosmotheoros
Moved to May 29, 2022.

2021 ^

Sunday 12 December 2021, 13.30 h. – The contemporaries of Badings
Award-winning organ player Laurens de Man is back in the Small Hall of the Muziekgebouw as the second organist of the Fokker organ. This time the contemporaries of Henk Badings are central. In addition to a work for the 31-tone organ by Badings himself, a composer who composed a relatively large number of works in 31-tone temperament, the program includes organ and piano works by Dutch composers such as Willem Pijper, Kees van Baaren, Herman Strategier and Rudolf Escher, which are all performed in meantone temperament. This fact alone makes the concert special.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ
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Sunday 12 December 2021, 11.00 h. – Trio SCALA in the spotlight
Especially for this concert, the 'hard core' of Ensemble SCALA will be highlighted, namely the trio of microtonal instruments, consisting of 31-tone guitar, 96-tone piano and 31-tone organ. Guitarist Stefan Gerritsen, pianist Anne Veinberg and organist Ere Lievonen perform trios, duos and solo works and give the audience a great opportunity to get to know these striking instruments better. The program includes works by Joachim F.W. Schneider and Juan Felipe Waller.
Stefan Gerritsen, 31-tone guitar / Anne Veinberg, Carrillo piano / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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CANCELED - Sunday 12 December 2021 – The microtones of Anatolia
Moved to March 13, 2022 - 13.30 h.

Sunday 23 October 2021 – Sweelinck, Bach and Beyond
Organist Laurens de Man (1993) takes the listener on a 45-minute journey. From Sweelinck to Bach via the teacher-pupil line and further back in time to Vicentino, the founder of the 31-tone system. De Man then makes a trip to a number of 20th century Dutch composers who have exploited the specific possibilities of the organ. Finally, we follow the route from Sweelinck to Bach back in reverse order.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ
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Sunday 26 September 2021 – Fokker organ revisited!
Organist and composer Jacob Lekkerkerker returns after four years to the Kleine Zaal of Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ to perform on the Fokker organ. This time he takes viola player Oene van Geel with him. The highlight of the morning is the premiere of Lekkerkerker's composition with five hundred years of sound history of organs and bells in Amsterdam. The program also includes music by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, a work by Hans Eugen Frischknecht from the repertoire of the Fokker organ and an improvisation by Lekkerkerker and Van Geel on Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.
Jacob Lekkerkerker, Fokker organ / Oene van Geel, viola
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ONLINE! - Sunday 11 July 2021, 11.00 h. – Laboratonium 4
The fourth edition of the Laboratonium will also be dominated by the experiment with (micro)tones. For example, new works by various young and arrived composers, with the Fokker organ being controlled by a computer, are on the program. With works for the Fokker organ of Guus Janssen, Boris Bezemer, Bart van Dongen and René Uijlenhoet.
with Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 27 June 2021 – Romanticism in meantone temperament
First organist of the Fokker organ (and rock in the microtonal surf) Ere Lievonen presents this morning the musical result of a multi-year research project of the Huygens-Fokker Foundation to perform romantic organ repertoire in meantone tuning, with the possibility to modulate through all the keys. All-rounder Ere Lievonen has the noble task to perform these special findings. The program includes works by famous nineteenth-century composers such as Anton Bruckner and César Franck.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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CANCELED - Sunday 30 May 2021 – Jazz trio Dsilton plays 31-tone music
Moved to December 12, 2021.

ONLINE! - Thursday 6 May 2021, 20.00 h. – Age-hopping - Laurens de Man
Famous organ composers such as J.S. Bach and G. Frescobaldi were familiar with harmonies in the meantone tuning, sounds that are nowadays considered to be different. Early 20th century composers such as Béla Bartók and Hugo Distler - a huge name in the German organ repertoire - are automatically played in meantone tuning during this concert by Laurens de Man. And the compositions by physicist Adriaan Fokker, the initiator of the Fokker organ (1950), sound in the 31-tone system.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ | LINK
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CANCELED - Sunday 2 May 2021, 11.00 h. – Trio SCALA in the spotlight
Moved to December 12, 2021.

CANCELED - Su 11 April 2021 – Romanticism in meantone temperament
Moved to June 27, 2021.

CANCELED - Saturday 20 February 2021, 11.00 h. – Kurtág by organ ears
Moved to March 11, 2023.

CANCELED - Su 17 January 2021, 11.00 h. – The contemporaries of Badings
Moved to December 12, 2021.

2020 ^

Sunday 13 December 2020, 11.00 h. & 13.00 h. – Tribute to Lemkes & Vos
Joseph Puglia and Emmy Storms, two top violinists, give a historical concert with work for violin duo and accompaniment, composed in the meantone tuning and the 31-tone tuning. With this they apply a tribute to the famous Dutch violin duo Bouw Lemkes (1924-2016) and Jeanne Vos († 2000). Yet there are not only violin duos on the program. At the request of Joseph Puglia a reprise of the monumental 'Synaesthesia Suite' by Kate Moore, which was specially composed for him in 2014, will sound too.
Joseph Puglia & Emmy Storms, violin - Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 4 October 2020, 11.00 h. – Anne Veinberg in the lead
Anne Veinberg (1986) is known in the concerthall Muziekgebouw as the pianist of Ensemble SCALA. She is a prize-winning pianist with guts who does not shy away from the theatrical side of music. To open the 2020-2021 season, Veinberg will give a concert on the Fokker organ, the Carrillo piano and a conventional grand piano. She will also make music with the Mexican composer / laptop artist Felipe Ignacio Noriega. The program includes works by Felipe Ignacio Noriega, Christopher Trapani, improvisations by Anne Veinberg herself and much more. An experience not to be missed!
Anne Veinberg, Fokker organ
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CANCELED - Sunday 3 May 2020, 11.00 h. – Tribute to Lemkes & Vos
Moved to December 13, 2020.

CANCELED - Sunday 19 April 2020, 11.00 h. – My Heart's in the Highlands
Moved to March 27, 2022.

CANCELED - Sunday 5 April 2020, 11.00 h. – Laboratonium 4
Moved to July 11, 2021.

Sunday 1 March 2020, 11.00 h. – The Americans
Microtonal music has been in the spotlight on the other side of the Atlantic for quite some time. This can be deduced from the many initiatives that are being developed there in this musical field. However, the preferences for microtonal systems may differ per region. For this reason Ensemble SCALA plays a cross section of the various microtonal music styles that can be found on the American continent.
Ensemble SCALA
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Sunday 19 January 2020, 11.00 h. – Consonanze Stravaganti
Under the title 'Conzonanze Stravaganti', the young and talented organist Laurens de Man will give a special organ concert. For his first acquaintance as organist with the 31-tone organ, he selected works from different style periods, with composers on the program who, as he described it, 'looked up the sharp edges of the meantone tuning'. A great challenge for a musician who is already very experienced at a young age.
Laurens de Man, Fokker organ
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2019 ^

Sunday 29 november - MicroFest Amsterdam 2019 >>>

The following concerts are 13,50 euros, a passe-partout for the entire festival costs 33 euros.
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11.00 hours – Contrasts
Vokalprojekt 31 starts off with the opening concert of the MicroFest Amsterdam 2019, a one-day festival for microtonal music, by performing a resplendent program which focuses on 31-tone music for vocals from 1950 to the present. The ability of the human voice to sing microtones is demonstrated in various compositions by Vokalprojekt 31, which will be accompanied by the Fokker organ.
Vokalprojekt 31 | Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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13.30 hours – Clarinets in Space

Free entrance

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15.00 hours – Harry Partch - lecture 1942

The Scordatura Ensemble is back with a special concert. A recording from 1942 was recently discovered with unique material. You can hear the American composer Harry Partch introducing his music and his self-designed 43-tone system. In addition to Kithara I, Adapted Viola and Adapted Guitar I, this concert also includes the brand new Chromelodeon (a converted harmonium), which plays a central role in 'Lecture 1942'.
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16.30 hours – The music of Georg Vogel

Free entrance

20.15 hours – The Evening of the Microtone
To top it all off, Ensemble SCALA closes the festival with the concert 'The Evening of the Microtone', in which the many facets of microtonality will come to the fore. Microtonal music in various styles. The program features new compositions by Julia Werntz and Piet-Jan van Rossum, supplemented by works from the repertoire of Ensemble SCALA that have been built up over the past nine years. In short, a colorful evening full of microtones!
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Sunday 10 November 2019, 11.00 h. – Bruckner's organ works
Ere Lievonen plays the few works that were composed for organ by Anton Bruckner. He was primarily regarded as the phenomenal organist of, among others, the St. Florian in Linz. He was also invited abroad for concerts in, among others, Notre Dame in Paris and London's Royal Albert Hall. But apart from some youth works, there are few organ compositions by him. Fortunately composer Sigfrid Karg-Elert made organ arrangements of Bruckner's symphonies and composed a Brucknerian Adagio.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 29 September 2019, 11.00 h. – Carte Blanche for Ere Lievonen
In the fall of 2019 it is exactly 10 years ago that organist Ere Lievonen gave his first concert on the renovated Fokker organ. Since 2009 he has been the permanent organist of this special 31-tone organ that is located in the Small Hall (Kleine Zaal) of the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. It is high time to put him in the spotlight with a carte blanche concert. The program includes works by Bernardo Storace, Juhani Nuorvala, Pier Damiano Peretti and compositions by Ere Lievonen himself, which are performed by him and several guest musicians.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ & harpsichord
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Sunday 26 May 2019, 11.00 h. – Andriessen Festival (De goddelijke routine)
In the oeuvre of Louis Andriessen the organ does not take a prominent place: only one organ work is to his name. He composed 'De goddelijke routine' (The divine routine) - a typical Andriessen title - for the 125th birthday of his father, composer Hendrik Andriessen, in 2017. Ere Lievonen plays a special program on organ and harpsichord with works by both father and son Andriessen, supplemented with music by Andriessens former students Martijn Padding and Calliope Tsoupaki.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ & harpsichord
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Sunday 12 May 2019, 11.00 h. – The Theremin Stories
Carolina Eyck, one of the best interpreters of the theremin in the world, is the special guest musician during a concert in which this mysterious instrument is at the center. In 2019 it is exactly one hundred years ago that the theremin was invented by Léon Theremin, an electronic musical instrument at which the player does not touch the instrument. With 'The Theremin Stories', Carolina Eyck (1987) will give an overview of how the theremin has sounded during the past hundred years. She is accompanied by organist Ere Lievonen (on the 31-tone organ) and composer/performer Wouter Snoei.
Carolina Eyck, Theremin / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ / Wouter Snoei, electronics
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Sunday 14 April 2019, 11.00 h. – Jan Hage tames the 31-tone organ
The special guest musician of this morning concert is the well-known Dutch organist Jan Hage, who is a well-respected interpreter of contemporary organ music. In 1995 he was appointed as organist of the Kloosterkerk in The Hague and in 2011 of the Domkerk in Utrecht. Jan Hage now has the task of controlling all 31 black, white and blue keys in the octave of the Fokker organ. The program will feature works from the repertoire of this organ, compositions from the first half of the last century, old music and two improvisations by Jan Hage. In short, a fascinating concert that you should not miss.
Jan Hage, Fokker organ
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Sunday 3 March 2019, 11.00 h. – Microfobia
Who is afraid of small intervals? With this new program Ensemble SCALA sets the (micro)tone by performing compositions that are all based on a different division of the octave. In this way, one will hear also quarter-tones of the 24-tone system, third-tones of the 19-tone system and pure tones of the harmonics, next to the fifth-tones of the 31-tone system. On the program a premiere of (among others) composer Sebastian Dumitrescu and also a guided improvisation in 'just intonation' by the entire Ensemble SCALA. In short, a concert full of microtones!
Ensemble SCALA
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Sunday 13 January 2019 , 11.00 h. – Renaissance & the 21st century
Vokalprojekt 31, accompanied by Ere Lievonen on the 31-tone organ, is a pioneering ensemble of five vocalists, performing 31-tone music from the Renaissance, early Baroque and the current century. Again this season, Vokalprojekt 31 guarantees the performance of quirky works from the meantone music era and the 21st century. The four 31-tone madrigals of 1555 by the Italian composer Nicola Vicentino and some madrigals by Carlo Gesualdo should not be missed. Contemporary music by Miranda Driessen, Fabio Costa and Andreas Arend will be performed too. Come listen!
Vokalprojekt 31 / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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2018 ^

Sunday 11 November 2018 , 11.00 h. – The Euler organ of Fokker
The fact that Professor Adriaan Fokker had the 31-tone organ built in 1950 is known. But in 1943, as curator of the Teylers Museum, he also took the initiative to have the so-called Euler organ built. Only a few know this, partly because this little organ has been unplayable for a long time. A wonderful opportunity to examine how the Euler organ once sounded, 75 years after the completion of the instrument! With historical compositions by Jan van Dijk, Henri Carf (Henk van Kempen) and Martin J. Lürsen. And a brand new work by the Dutch composer Gijsbrecht Roijé.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 30 September 2018, 11.00 h. – Dans, Dans, Dans!
The new season of Fokker organ concerts will kick off with a program that focuses on dance. Three dancers will perform choreographies and dance improvisations on music played by Ere Lievonen on the 31-tone organ. For this occasion the glass wall of the Small Hall opens up, so the dancers are free to move both inside and outside the hall. The works that are on the program connect in a special way to the theme of 'dancing', because the composers were all once connected to a dance academy (as a musical accompanist), like Martijn Padding, Christina Oorebeek, Martin Lo-A-Njoe and others.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ / Anne Veinberg, Carrillo piano
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Sunday 13 May 2018, 11.00 h. – Laboratonium 3
This season the Huygens-Fokker Foundation is again organizing a concert full of new compositions and experiments for 31-tone organ, 96-tone piano, laptop & electronics. The program includes a new work by composer Ned McGowan, in which the music is based on an out of tune street organ from Mexico. Hans Leeuw plays the electrumpet, Melle Weijters improvises on impressive chords from Adriaan Fokker and duo Off<>zz play a new impro-composition. And also the premiere of a piece by the South African composer Michael Blake, in which drum sounds come from the Fokker organ. And much more!
Anne Veinberg, Carrillo piano / Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ / several composers, laptop

Thursday 13 May 2018, 20.15 h. – Joseph Puglia: Music and Movements
Violin and electronics do not form an everyday couple. Top violinist Joseph Puglia, soulmate of the Muziekgebouw, shows how exciting that combination can be. For example, in 1959 Henk Badings placed a violinist between two soundtracks. His capriccio is future music from the past, but still stands as a house. Kate Moore composed her kaleidoscopic Synaesthesia Suite (2014) for Puglia, now in a version for Fokker organ and therefore also in meantone tuning. Movement is the theme that connects all four works in this beautiful concert.
Joseph Puglia, violin / Kate Moore, stops Fokker organ

Sunday 8 April 2018, 11.00 h. – Ligeti Festival
Especially for this concert Ere Lievonen, the main player of the Fokker organ, arranged piano and harpsichord works by György Ligeti for the unique 31-tone organ. In addition, the program pays attention to the composer Conlon Nancarrow, who was admired by Ligeti, with his 'Study No. 21' for pianola, which is an unplayable piece for human hands. Also on the program some intriguing works by Mauricio Kagel, Kevin Volans and Hans Otte.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Sunday 25 March 2018 , 11.00 h. – On adventure with Moosbrugger
The Austrian musician Alexander Moosbrugger is very versatile; Besides being an organist, harpsichordist and programmer, he is also a composer, in which he dares to combine new and old music in his work. His interest in 'hearing' as a compositional starting point has moved him to a study philosophy in Vienna. Still fascinated by this fact, Moosbrugger will take you on a listening adventure this morning. As a guest player on the Fokker organ he is accompanied musically by flutist/composer Ned McGowan on the contrabass flute.
Alexander Moosbrugger, Fokker organ / Ned McGowan, contrabass flute

Sunday 25 February 2018, 11.00 h. – Fokker versus Carrillo
Julián Carrillo and Adriaan Fokker have both dedicated their lives to microtones, but they each ended up on a different tone system. These two different systems are incompatible on paper but the instruments that have been built for these tunings turn out to sound well together in practice. Harpist Ernestine Stoop will be a guest player with her rare Carrillo harp. New works and existing compositions from the repertoire of these special microtonal instruments will be performed, including of course works by both Adriaan Fokker and Julián Carrillo.
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ / Anne Veinberg, Carrillo piano / Ernestine Stoop, Carrillo harp

Sunday 14 January 2018, 11.00 h. – The Art of 'Nauwluisterendheid'
The title of this concert is partly derived from the Nauwluisterendheid Foundation, founded in 1960 by Professor Adriaan Fokker, which in 1967 changed its name definitively to Stichting Huygens-Fokker. With the strange term 'nauwluisterendheid', Fokker was referring to, among other things, the small intervals of the 31-tone system in which the tuning is very delicate. To the Ensemble SCALA, specialized in this, the task of performing music with these microtones, so that the audience can also master the art of 'nauwluisterendheid'. The program includes new work by Arnold Marinissen (1966) and the Finnish composer Juhani Nuorvala (1961). | Ensemble SCALA

2017 ^

Sunday 26 November 2017, 11.00 h. – MICRO|IMPRO
Bram Stadhouders & Melle Weijters, Fokker organ controlled by guitars

Guitarists Bram Stadhouders and Melle Weijters will perform on the 31-tone organ via their guitars and laptops. Stadhouders, known in the Netherlands for his distinctive guitar playing, will mainly focus on his characteristic enervating improvisations. Weijters, who is an initiate in microtonal music with a special interest in fretless and microtonal guitars, will focus on new microtonal applications in jazz and blues. The differences in approach between the two gentlemen will also be presented in a impro-battle.

Sunday 1 October 2017, 11.00 h. – Fokker organ XL!
Ere Lievonen (and Maarten Havinga), Fokker organ

Especially for this occasion, the unique acoustic Fokker organ is expanded with realistic digital organ sounds (tuned in the 31-tone system), so organ works from the 19th and 20th century can be performed perfectly in meantone temperament, for the first time in music history. Besides these works, Hilbert's Hotel by Rozalie Hirs will be performed, in which the electronic sounds seem to come out of the 31-tone organ. Organist Ere Lievonen will be accompanied by Maarten Havinga in several works.

Saturday 26 Aug. 2017, 12.00 h. – UITMARKT: Experience the Fokker organ
Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Discover the unique sounds of the Fokker organ. The program includes various works that all illuminate a different side of the repertoire of this unique 31-tone organ. With proven works by (among others) Henk Badings, Danny de Graan, Hans Otte, Fabio Costa and Felix Kubin. So come and listen in the Small Hall of the Muziekgebouw during this Uitmarkt and experience the Fokker organ!

Sunday 21 May 2017, 11.00 h. – Laboratonium 2
An exciting concert with new works for 31-tone organ, laptop and electronics. On the program the new composition Folding I for 31-tone organ by Charles Corey, who is the curator of Harry Partch instruments in Seattle. Also on the program a new version of a work for 31-tone organ by the Dutch composer Wouter Snoei. And a new work titled Kaiho (longing) for 96-tone piano by the known Finnish composer Juhani Nuorvala and the first 31-tone electronic piece (1957) by composer Ton de Leeuw.

Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ / Anne Veinberg, Carrillo piano (and more performers)

Sunday 23 April 2017, 11.00 h. – Dazzling vocal sounds
This morning concert will be marked by a groundbreaking 31-tone project called Vokalprojekt 31, a small ensemble of four vocalists, which brings 31-tone music of the Renaissance and the present time and will be accompanied by the unique Fokker organ, played by Ere Lievonen. Together they will perform music in the meantone tuning and the 31-tone temperament from the Renaissance/early Baroque and the present day in a fascinating way. On the program the premiere of two new works by Fabio Costa and Andreas Arend and an opera in four minutes by Sander Germanus. | Vokalprojekt 31

Sunday 12 March 2017, 11.00 h. – Lekkerkerker touches the Fokker organ
The organist of the Old Church in Amsterdam, Jacob Lekkerkerker, is known for his imaginative improvisations and distinctive world of sound through the use of electronics, turntables and DJ equipment. Improvisation with classical organ sounds, soundscapes and electronic music merge into one another. A special experience in which Jacob Lekkerkerker certainly will touch the audience.

Jacob Lekkerkerker, Fokker organ & Alfredo Genovesi, electronics

Sun 15 Jan. 2017, 11.00 h. – Blast from the past (Ensemble SCALA)
Under the title 'Blast from the past' Ensemble SCALA performes several compositions from its short history. There will be musical highlights from the repertoire, all specifically written for the ensemble, which includes Na by Gijsbrecht Roijé, 3 pezzi molto simili by Lucio Garau, Gallium by Sander Germanus, In the Blink of an Eye by Danny de Graan and Unruh by Joachim Schneider. A glorious overview concert with a focus on the past six eventful years of Ensemble SCALA.

2016 ^

Sunday 4 December 2016, 11.00 h. – From here to Tokio
Among the many special Japanese instruments there is the beautiful shakuhachi flute. A major Dutch virtuoso on this instrument is the famous flutist Harrie Starreveld. Ere Lievonen, organist of the Fokker organ, will accompany Starreveld. During this concert works of composers based here in the Netherlands and in Tokyo (Japan) will be performed. Sonorous instruments in a colorful concert it is!

Harrie Starreveld, shakuhachi & microtonal flute & Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Sunday 2 October 2016, 11.00 h. – In the spirit of Huygens
The famous physicist Christiaan Huygens invented the 31-tone tuning in 1691 and published about it in his 'Lettre touchant le cycle harmonique'. But what was the purpose of his invention? And what impact could this have on the future of music as his invention would have been spread more widely?
The Fokker organ will be played by the young and talented organist Martin Havinga, who will take the listener on a search for music which in theory might have sounded during the past centuries.

Maarten Havinga, Fokker organ

Friday 2 September 2016, 20.00 h. – Lost & Found (guest performance Fokker organ) During this evening, organized by Lost & Found with guest-curator artist Geo Wyeth (USA), new work (often in progress) from several artists and writers will be presented. A musical transition between the separate parts of the evening will be made by the improvising group The Offzz on the 31-tone organ.

The Offzz: Anne Veinberg , Fokker organ / Felipe Noriega, laptop

Sunday 22 May 2016, 11.00 h. – Pimp My Organ 4 Ever! (extra concert)
For the fourth time the Huygens-Fokker Foundation organizes together with the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ the concert Pimp My Organ! The computerized Fokker organ will again be expanded, revamped and pimped-up! - Ere Lievonen on the 31-tone Fokker organ and Anne Veinberg on 96-tone Carillo piano.

Sunday 24 April 2016, 11.00 h. – 4 feet, 4 hands
After the successful four-handed concert in 2014, the regular Fokker organist Ere Lievonen will be re-joined by Susanne Kujala, a German organist specialised in contemporary organ music. They will perform new works written by Christina Oorebeek, Hannu Pohjannoro, Sebastian Dumitrescu and Lauri Supponen, and an older works for four feet and hands on the Fokker organ by Joachim Schneider. A colorful program in which the Fokker organ will be played by 4 hands the second time this century!
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Sunday 20 March 2016, 11.00 h. – The Word Speaks
How does the word relate to music? In this case, the word is not referring to singing but to the spoken word, by means of poetry. Can they complement each other? Can they sound at the same time or should they alternate? An interesting research on how these two art forms can influence each other. With Rozalie Hirs, Samuel Vriezen, Lieke Marsman, Han van der Vegt and Maria van Daalen. Ere Lievonen on the Fokker organ and the collaboration of composer Danny de Graan.

Sun 7 Feb.2016, 11.00 h.– Enchanting microtones in the 16th &17th century
Johannes Keller is a harpsichordist and specialist in rare meantone music with more than the usual 12 tones per octave. At the invitation of the Huygens-Fokker Foundation he will come from Basel to Amsterdam to give a unique concert where he will play the 31-tone organ as well as his own 'chromatic-enharmonic' harpsichord. Johannes Keller will be accompanied by violinist Eva Saladin.

2015 ^

Sunday 29 November - MicroFest Amsterdam 2015 >>>

The following concerts are 12,50 euros, a passe-partout for the entire festival costs 30 euros.

11.00 hours – concert: SCALA’s Spectrum (performed by Ensemble SCALA)

During the opening concert of MicroFest Amsterdam 2015, a one-day festival for microtonal music, Ensemble SCALA kicks off with a program full of premieres. The wide sound spectrum of Ensemble SCALA, with the Fokker organ as a part of them, will be illuminated during the entire concert in all its diversity.

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13.30 h. – Lecture microtonal music

Free entrance

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15.00 h. – Nicola Vicentino, a second life

The visionary 16th century composer and music theorist Nicola Vicentino is famous for his advocacy of an ancient Greek enharmonic mode and the microtonal Archicembalo that he designed for it. Only four of his madrigals survived, of which three are unfinished. The Scordatura Ensemble asked composers to complete/respond freely to them. The ensemble will also perform original madrigals by Vicentino.
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16.30 h. – Lecture microtonal music

Free entrance

20.15 h. – New and Old Harmonies: Vocal Music in 31-EDO
The evening concert of the MicroFest Amsterdam 2015 will end with a special 31-tone project. At the request of the Berlin-based conductor and composer Fabio Costa, the Huygens-Fokker Foundation (organizer of the MicroFest) formed the Vokalprojekt 31, especially for this festival. A small ensemble of four singers will be accompanied by the unique Fokker organ. Together they will perform fascinating music in meantone temperament and 31-tone temperament in a unique way.
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Monday 9 November 2015, 20.30 h. – Touch Label Night (The Rest is Noise)
The British label Touch is one of the most respected and influential labels in the ambient, experimental music and sound art and was at the cradle of several musicians, such as musician Claire M Singer. In recent years the musical work of Claire M Singer work has focused on a mix of organ, 'cello and electronics with performances. The Rest Is Noise hosts the Touch Label Night with a rare staging of the 31-tone Fokker organ by Claire M Singer. (guest performance Fokker organ)

Sunday 13 September 2015, 11.00 h. – Meet the Fokker organ
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, varied and surprising music will be performed on the 31-tone organ, also known as the Fokker organ. From early music to contemporary music, it’s all covered in this concert, culminating with a new impro-composition made by the Dutch composer and pianist Guus Janssen. Obviously, a clear example of 31-tone music on the program will not be forgotten.

Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ

Sunday 26 April 2015, 11.00 h. – Hilbert's Hotel
This morning the special and long-awaited premiere of Hilbert's Hotel of the Dutch composer Rozalie Hirs will take place; a spectral work in which the 31-tone organ is controlled by laptop. Guest musician Raymond Honing (flute) and Fokker organ player Ere Lievonen will perform striking work like Reflexions Sonores of the Dutch composer Henri Carf (1899-1984).

Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ | Raymond Honing, flute / traverso

Sunday 12 April 2015, 13.30 h. – Solar Neon
In the Small Hall of the Muziekgebouw a special concert with (post)minimal movements and galactic overtone sounds will take place. A highlight of this concert is the performance of Aleph 2 by the famous minimal composer Terry Riley. Spectral sounds, tone fluctuations, harmony and clusters with a continuous rhythm alternate in this concert. Performed by Ensemble SCALA: Raymond Honing, flute | Michel Marang, clarinet | Manuel Visser, viola | Stefan Gerritsen, 31-tone guitar | Anne Veinberg, Carrillo-piano | Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ| Glenn Liebaut, percussion

Sunday 01 March 2015, 11.00 h. – The day of the ingenious organ
'The day of the ingenious organ' is a collaboration of the Huygens-Fokker Foundation, the Muziekgebouw and the Orgelpark, wherein the computer-controlled organ is in the spotlights. There will be a concert in the morning and in the afternoon, respectively in the Small Hall of the Muziekgebouw (11.00 hours) and at the Orgelpark (14.15 hours). Especially for this day Masato Suzuki will return to the unique Fokker organ as a guest performer.

Masato Suzuki, Fokker-organ / Sauer-organ (with. Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ)

Sunday 18 January 2015, 11.00 h. – 65 Years Fokker-organ
In 2015 it will be 65 years since the Fokker organ was built by organ builder Pels, after which it was placed in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem. In 2009, this unique instrument came to be at the current spot in the Muziekgebouw. Time to celebrate this fact with a cross section of the rich and distinctive repertoire of the 31-tone organ of Adriaan Fokker. An anniversary concert with a festive program.

Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ

2014 ^

Sunday 16 November 2014, 11.00 h. – Notes Between Keys
The notes that are in theory 'between the keys of the piano' can certainly be played on the Fokker-organ, the 31-tone guitar and, in particular, on the Carrillo-piano, which counts 96 tones and keys instead of 12 in the octave. During this concert Ensemble SCALA will again perform a lot of these notes by playing exciting compositions. For example, the program includes the premiere of a new composition for ensemble of the Italian composer Lucio Garau. Ensemble SCALA:
Raymond Honing, flute | Michel Marang, clarinet | Manuel Visser, viola | Stefan Gerritsen, 31-tone guitar | Anne Veinberg, Carrillo-piano | Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ| Glenn Liebaut, percussion

Sunday 28 September 2014, 11.00 h. – MicroBlues
The point of focus during the concert 'MicroBlues' is improvised music within the meantone, 31 and 41-tone tuning system. Guus Janssen and Melle Weijters jointly explore what kind of new opportunities these systems offers for improvised music, especially the blues. The varied styles of improvisation are supported by the use of the latest computer technologies that will lead to a surprising result.

Guus Janssen, Fokker-organ | Melle Weijters, guitar

Sunday 4 May 2014, 11.00 h. – Duo Hevans & 31-tone organ

Duo Hevans consists of an unusual combination of bass clarinet and tenor saxophone. Since its founding in 2005, a lot of new work has been written for this particular duo. Especially for this concert with the 31-tone Fokker organ, René Uijlenhoet and Monty Adkins wrote new compositions. Bass clarinetist Henri Bok will perform one of his own works together with the organ.
Henri Bok, bass clarinet - Eleri Ann Evans, tenor saxophone - Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ

Sunday 9 March 2014, 11.00 h. – 4 feet, 4 hands

In this concert for four hands (and four feet), the regular organist Ere Lievonen will be joined by Susanne Kujala, a German-Finnish organist/accordionist who is specialized in contemporary organ music. Together they will perform new works written for this occasion by Joachim Schneider (Germany) and Sebastian Dumitrescu (Finland), as well as two older works for four hands and four feet by Daniel Caux and Anton de Beer. Furthermore, they both will perform a solo on the Fokker-organ.

Susanne Kujala & Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ
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Sunday 12 January 2014, 11.00 h. – Suzuki plays the Fokker organ

Masato Suzuki (1981) is a particularly gifted Japanese organist, harpsichordist, pianist, composer and conductor. He specializes in both early and contemporary music and over the years, he has performed many concerts all over the world. During this Fokker-organ concert, Masato Suzuki will play early and contemporary music, using the traditional meantone tuning as well as the extended 31-tone tuning which already had been described by the famous Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens in 1691.

Masato Suzuki, Fokker organ

2013 ^

Sunday 8 December 2013, 11.00 h. – Morning of the unexpected

Ensemble SCALA will perform remarkable and exciting microtonal works from various style periods in ‘the Morning of the Unexpected’. One quick glance at the set list will reveal a world premiere from Gijsbrecht Roije, one of the leading pioneers of Dutch microtonality. In this composition he searches for beauty in sound. Ensemble SCALA: Raymond Honing, flute - Michel Marang, clarinet - Manuel Visser, viola - Stefan Gerritsen, 31-tone guitar - Anne Veinberg, keyboards - Ere Lievonen, Fokker-organ - Glenn Liebaut, percussion

Sunday 6 October 2013, 11.00 h. – Back to Teylers

In For this concert we go back to where the Fokker-organ originally was installed: the auditory of the Teylers Museum in Haarlem (1950-2000). Over these years, an extensive repertoire emerged. During this concert in the Kleine Zaal, selected highlights will revive the ambience of the old Teylers. Past and present in perfect harmony. Ere Lievonen, Fokker organ

Sunday 21 April 2013, 11.00 h. – The 'laboratonium'

In our 'Laboratonium', young talented composers will put both the musical and technical possibilities of the Fokker-organ to the test. They search for new sounds in the rich palette of microtones and they combine it with the organ's state-of-the-art computer technology if necessary. Solo works for Ere Lievonen will be juxtaposed with pieces performed by laptops and there will be duets between them, too! Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel

Sunday 17 March 2013, 11.00 h. – Finlandia

A special concert with two Finnish performers: Mikko Perkola on the viola da gamba and Ere Lievonen on the 31-tone Fokker organ. Premieres of among others the versatile Finnish composer Juhani Nuorvala make this concert to a fresh musical event. Historical works and newly written compositions sound easily after the other. As a counterpart in the program, the Italian composer Lucio Garau (1959) will provide warm-blooded sounds to the concert with his latest work for viola da gamba and Fokker organ. Mikko Perkola, viola da gamba & Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel

Sat. 9 March 2013, 14.30 h. – Ensemble SCALA (Korzo Theatre, The Hague)

This edition of Dag in de Branding (Festival for new music) devotes special attention to the work of composer Peter Adriaansz. Ensemble SCALA (which includes the Fokker-keyboard) provides the first concert of the day and brings his latest work premiered, entitled Scala I. The simple but intriguing and shiny work of Adriaansz is specially composed for the ensemble, tuned in the 31-tone system. Also on the program works by Nicola Vicentino, Ned McGowan and Steffen Krebber.

Sunday 10 February 2013, 11.00 h. – Contrarian sounds

Because of the use of 31 tones instead of 12 per octave, the repertoire of the Fokker organ can be considered as contrarian. To get an idea of all these contrarian sounds, several compositions were selected which illustrate the rich music literature of the Fokker organ. Besides renowned pieces of the old and modern music, like a work of the American-Flemish composer Bert Van Herck, new contrarian compositions of Miranda Driessen and Angus Barnacle will be performed. Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel

2012 ^

Sunday 30 December 2012, 11.00 h. - Guus Janssen and Friends

As part of the Trio-day of the Muziekgebouw, Guus Janssen will perform on the Fokker organ. He will be musically accompanied by the well-known musicians Wolter Wierbos (trombone) and Marco Blaauw (trumpet). Improvisations, experiments and jazz classics will have a central place during this concert. All this with some microtonal herbs and spices. An adventurous concert with three top musicians!

Sunday 2 December 2012, 11.00 h. – 31 steps to heaven (Ensemble SCALA)

Ensemble SCALA is performing a program with solely microtonal music for the third consecutive year. A highlight of this concert is the premiere of a new work by the quirky Dutch composer Peter Adriaansz. His music can be characterized by slowly evolving soundscapes that take the listener to a higher level of experience. The concert '31 Steps to Heaven' ends with the eponymous work by composer René Samson, a light microtonal work that combines 12- and 31-tone lines which battle with each other.

Sunday 14 October 2012, 11.00 h. – The clusters of Schat

Peter Schat composed his Collages for 31-tone organ in 1962 and made it one of the most outstanding works written for the unique Fokker organ. In the piece, Schat painted a, for his time, progressive palette of timbres. The other works on the program, among others Eugen Frischknecht, Ivan Wyschnegradsky and Jan van Dijk, are composed around the same time as the composition of Schat. Also, there is a composition with clusters of Juan Felipe Waller performed by Ere Lievonen on the Fokker organ and 96-tone Carrillo-piano. Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel / Carrillo-piano

Sunday 20 May 2012, 11.00 h. – In memoriam Henk Badings

This year the Huygens-Fokker Foundation commemorates the 25th year of death of Henk Badings (1907-1987). His major contribution to the 31-tone repertoire will be honored during this concert.
A cross section of the best microtonal works by Henk Badings is included in the program. With the cooperation of Ere Lievonen (Fokker organ), Judith van Driel (violin) and Marleen Wester (violin).

Sunday 11 March 2012, 11.00 h. – The secret of the meantone

Organist Ere Lievonen unravels the secret of the 'meantone' by performing quirky old and new music. This morning concert provides an answer to the question why the meantone disappeared and how it can be applied again into the modern era. Besides a premiere works of the famous Italian Girolamo Frescobaldi and his contemporaries will be performed in meantone on the unique 31-tone organ.

2011 ^

Sunday 11 December - MicroFest Amsterdam 2011 >>>

The following concerts are 15 euros, a passe-partout for the entire festival costs 24 euros.

11.00 h. – Le Club Microtonal – performed by Ensemble SCALA

Under the program title Le Club Microtonal, the Fokker-orgel is in this concert part of the Ensemble SCALA, a new seven-member club musicians who are specialized in microtonal music. Together, they bring the audience a spectrum of new sounds by exploring the boundaries of the colorful 31- and 24-tone tuning. On the programme newly composed works and well-tried microtonal works of old masters.

13.30 h. - Lecture dr. Bob Gilmore

Bob Gilmore is head of the musicology department at the Brunel University of London and is specialized in microtonal music. During this lecture he will explain and show film clips about two pioneers of microtonal music: Ivan Wyschnegradsky and Harry Partch.

15.00 h. - From 19 to 96 tones in the octave

As a pianist Keiko Shichijo gives solo and chamber music concerts throughout Europe and Japan. During this concert she will perform on the 96-tone Carrillopiano (ór 1/16-tone piano).
The Carrillo-piano has inspired many composers and musicians to compose and perform microtonal music. The refined 96-tone system of Carrillo can actually approach each pure interval. The programme includes some standard repertoire works and new compositions for the Carrillo-piano.
Anne La Berge's is a flutist / improviser / composer who combines in her performances various musical aspects, including improvised microtonal textures and delicately woven melodies. Her concert flutes are built using the Kingmasystem, which allows her to play microtones more easy.

16.30 h. - Forum: Microtonal music in practice

Several experts and performers of microtonal music will attend the discussion about the question in what way microtonal systems can be applied in practice to result in more acurate performances. A subject that can hopefully lead to a more precise performances of microtonal music.

20.15 h. - Bohlen-Pierce meets Huygens-Fokker

Ere Lievonen will play some highlights from the repertoire of the Fokker-orgel, including a work by Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Thus he will perform both ancient music in meantone temperament and new music specifically composed for the 31-tone organ. During this concert Nora Louise Muller and Ákos Hoffman will perform in inimitable way on the Bohlen-Pierce clarinets, which results in new possibilities for contemporary music. In 2008 the first Bohlen-Pierce clarinet was completed and now there are many new works composed for, several of which this concert will sound.

Sunday 13 November 2011, 11.00 h. – Pimp My Organ 3

For the third year in row the Huygens-Fokker Foundation organizes together with the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ the concert Pimp My Organ! The computerized Fokker organ will again be expanded, revamped and pimped-up! Besides this the 31-tone organ will be played by composer/performer Warren Burt through the internet from Australia, using the newest digital possibilities.

Sunday 16 October 2011, 11.00 h. – Carrillo versus Fokker

The 96-toons Carrillo- piano and the 31-tone Fokker organ will compete with each other musically and also join forces during this unique concert. This is reflected in new works by the composers Torsten Anders, Martin Lo-A-Njoe and Juan Felipe Waller. Before the performances take place, there will be a presentation of the new Carrillo-piano.

Sunday 18 September 2011, 11.00 h. – El Hotel Eléctrico

Pianist and master improviser Hugo van Neck accompanies on the Fokker organ among others the fascinating film El Hotel Eléctrico of Segundo de Chomón of 1908, starring the actress Julienne Mathieu and the director himself. The film will be introduced shortly before the start by movie connoisseur Theodore van Houten.

Sunday 15 May 2010, 11.00 h. – The Ariadne-project

A special crossover concert with music by Claudio Monteverdi and his contemporaries, as well as a work of the young Berlin composer and lutenist Andreas Arend, based on Monteverdi's Lamento d'Arianna solo aria, the only remaining part of his opera L'Arianna which is unfortunately lost.

Sunday 17 April 2010, 11.00 h. – 31-tone music above the IJ

Organ player Ere Lievonen will perform exciting and delusional 31-tone music high above the IJ. Besides the fact that brand new work will sound on the Fokker organ (including a composition by Wim de Ruiter), pieces by great masters of early music will be performed.

Sunday 20 March 2011, 11.00 h. – Boem Boe Bali!

Gamelan is characteristic of the Indonesian folk music. 31-tone music is a typical Dutch invention that has been developed here in The Netherlands. The 31-tone tuning of the Fokker organ has possibilities to play gamelan harmonies. A melting pot of exotic sounds during this concert will be the result.

Sunday 27 February 2011, 11.00 h. – Pimp My Organ 2

Because success in 2009, now the sequel to Pimp My Organ! During this concert the computerized Fokker organ will again be driven by laptops. Several composers will compose new works especially for the instrument. The Fokker organ will once again be expanded and pimped with many new sounds!

2010 ^

Sunday 19 December 2010, 11.00 h. – The untempered cinema

This concert brings film and live muziek together in a cinema of untempered tones. Het Fokker organ functions as an organ accompaniment for the movie AELITA. Exciting, dramatic and funny scenes during this morning will be reinforced by 12 or more untempered tones of the 31-tone Fokker organ.

Sunday 28 November 2010, 11.00 h. – Microtonalities

In this concert, the Fokker organ will make up part of the Ensemble SCALA, a group of seven musicians. Existing compositions and amazing arrangements will be performed alongside new works, in which composed music is even combined with improvisation.
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Sunday 10 October 2010, 11.00 h. – Organic Movements

During this concert organ player Ere Lievonen, since the summer of 2009 one of our two regular players on the Fokker organ, will perform a number of new 31-tone compositions. The Flemish composer Bert Van Herck and Dutch composer Christina Oorebeek are one of the composers who were asked to compose new work for the unique Fokker organ.

Sunday 12 September 2010, 12.30 h. – Gaudeamus Music Week

Sunday the 12th of September 2010 there will be a special concert in the BAM Hall of the Muziekgebouw with the Fokker organ during the Gaudeamus Music Week. As many as 10 premieres are on the program, from eleven composers who composed especially for this occasion. These microtonal compositions will be performed by organ player Ere Lievonen or by laptops. The composers are a.o. Janco Verduin, Steffen Krebber, Hector Bravo Benard, Martin Lo-A-Njoe, Michiel Mensingh.

Sunday 8 August 2010, 15.00 h. - John Schneider plays microtonal music

John is a American microtonal guitarist and a pioneer of refretted fingerboards, and worked with many of the great American composers whose music uses just tunings. This concert includes works specially written for him by Lou Harrison, Terry Riley, and Ben Johnston. Location: Westerstraat 106 Amsterdam

Sunday 30 May 2010, 11.00 h. – Hans Kox 80 years

In cooperation with the music hall Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ the Huygens-Fokker Foundation organizes a special concert to honor the well-known Dutch composer Hans Kox who will turn 80 years old this year. This rare programme contains all his the microtonal works, composed between 1958 and 1974.

Sunday 21 March 2010, 11.00 h. – New harvest/Old masters
In this concert, organist Joop van Goozen, is presenting a wonderful collection of old and new 31-tone music. Composers were asked to compose new work for the Fokker organ. Besides old masters, the programme includes familiar works from the regular repertoire. A special guest will provide Joop van Goozen with musical accompaniment in this concert.

Sunday 21 February 2010, 11.00 h. – Guus Janssen touches the Fokker organ
Guus Janssen will be playing the Fokker organ (on both 12-tone and 31-tone keyboards). David Kweksilber will provide him with musical accompaniment during several improvisations. He will also compose some themes especially for the Fokker organ and investigate the possibilities of improvising with microtonality.

Sunday 14 February 2010, 11.00 h. – Chinese Temperaments

Under the Chinese Opera Weekend on 13 & 14 of Februari in the Main Hall, the Huygens-Fokker Foundation will organize a concert with Chinese music on request of the Muziekgebouw. The pieces which will be played are programmed around the Bagatelle "Chinees" of Professor Adriaan Fokker.

With Ere Lievonen, Fokker-orgel / Fang Weiling, erhu

2009 ^

Sunday 13 December 2009, 11.00 h. – Pimp My Organ!
In this concert, the Fokker organ will be operated by laptops. Several composers will work with live electronics in their pieces. A composition by Conlon Nancarrow will be performed, with electronics and in a more just tuning. Using extra digital stops and other new electronic possibilities of this renovated acoustic 31-tone instrument, the Fokker organ will be expanded and pimped with many new sounds.
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Sunday 22 November 2009, 11.00 h. – The fifth tone of Christiaan Huygens
Exploration through ornamentation and Baroque improvisation, of the effect the existence of an instrument such as the Fokker-organ would have had on the music from Christiaan Huygens' time. Research has shown that the use of additional tones/keys (to be able to tune the instrument) led some composers of the seventeenth century to a bizarre use of chromatic microtones. A chance for Baroque ensemble La Barca Leyden to rewrite the history of music.
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Sunday 11 October 2009, 11.00 h. – 31-tone music at 't IJ
Organist Ere Lievonen will perform 31-tone music on the recently restored Fokker organ. Lievonen plays 20th century work by composer Henk Badings and compositions of ancient masters like Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. From the historical repertoire for the instrument pieces will sound this morning from Jan van Dijk and Ivan Wyschnegradsky among others.
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Sunday 17 May 2009, 11.00 h. - Inauguration concert Fokker organ
After the renovation of the Fokker organ, the return of this unique instrument will be celebrated in the world of music with a suprising inauguration concert. Multiple guests will perform in this concert.
A morning full of surprises!
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Sunday 18 Jan. 2009, 19.30 h. - In memoriam Horatiu Radulescu
Pianosonate nr 3 & 6 - Lux Animae op.97 -Inner Time op.42 - Exil Intérieur op.98 - Das Andere op.49
Performed by: Roger Heaton, clarinet; Ian Pace, piano; Catherine Radulescu, cello;
Vincent Royer, viola; Elisabeth Smalt, viola
Het Bethaniënklooster, Barndesteeg 6b, 1012 BV Amsterdam, Tel. +31 (0)20 625 00 78
E: info@bethanienklooster.nl, www.bethanienklooster.nl - admission €15,-
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