Nachtzwaluw Concert at De Doelen Rotterdam

Music can speak where words cannot, sounds can transcend boundaries and connect people who have never met. The Nightingale Concert is an evening in which international musicians and choirs come together around a single theme: music full of hope, solidarity and faith — precisely where silence, darkness and persecution reign. Musicians and singers from Eastern and Western Europe share the stage in a programme that gives voice to stories that often remain hidden. Through orchestral sounds, solo singing, choral singing and ensemble singing, a musical journey unfolds, tracing the biblical message through freedom and restriction, light and darkness. This becomes tangibly close when a song by Traian Dorz (a contemporary of Richard Wurmbrand) is performed in his native language; a song that was composed in total isolation and which he kept in his heart for years. ‘The Spirit speaks all languages’ International voices, one sound The programme is performed by a unique international ensemble. The Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra from Romania performs music from a region where, for decades, music could only be played under direct state supervision. Their history resonates in every note; music as survival, as a hidden language. Soprano Luiza Spiridon from Bucharest combines classical vocal expression with spiritual depth. Her voice bears the traces of a personal history in which faith was not self-evident, and precisely because of this, it resonates all the more powerfully. The Espressione Male Ensemble conducted by Arjan Wouters and the Cantate Deo Christian Mixed Choir, the Glory Christian Youth Choir and the Shaare Zedek Choir conducted by Mark Brandwijk will participate in the programme, with Jaap Kramer at the Doelen organ and Mark Brandwijk and Arjan Wouters at the grand piano. Together they will present a unique programme in which musical quality and content reinforce each other — from orchestral works to choral singing and the singing of well-known psalms. An evening that reaches further This concert is a musical moment of encouragement — for the musicians on stage, for the audience in the hall, and for all those around the world who often work in silence and under difficult circumstances. All proceeds from the Nightjar Concert will go to the Nightjar Foundation. By attending, you will be supporting the development of innovative technological solutions, especially for those who would otherwise not hear the biblical message of hope in their lives.