Music for Empty Spaces

What comes after death? The mystery of our final journey is as old as mankind itself. But unlike our ancestors, we prefer not to reflect on it too much. And that’s a shortcoming, composer Heather Pinkham believes. In this new edition of Music for Empty Spaces, Pinkham asks nine colleagues from diverse backgrounds to reflect on dying, death and mourning. Music, as the language of the unspeakable, which can help us talk about the inevitable end that is part and parcel of life.

During the coronavirus crisis, Pinkham organised the first edition of Music for Empty Spaces, which was streamed live from the Muziekgebouw. The programme was a success, was watched worldwide, and was even repeated live in front of an audience. The theme of the second edition follows naturally from the first: as nine composers reflected on living in isolation back then, death is now the subject of reflection. Once again, the performance is in the hands of first-class Dutch musicians.

In collaboration with

Echoes of Nothing
Monthly fringe programme in collaboration with Conservatorium van Amsterdam 

Inspired by the quote ‘Every something is an echo of nothing’ by composer John Cage, three students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Dániel Bolba, Lisa Schreiber and Sean Haid) are curating their own concert series. The mini concerts reflect on concerts from the programming in the Grand Hall and offer a new perspective on the concert experience.

Programme booklet (Dutch)