The Muziekgebouw celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday 20 September with a day full of surprising mini-concerts throughout the building. Cappella Amsterdam is proud to be part of this festive programme.

During the grand finale in the Main Hall, Cappella Amsterdam and Amsterdam Sinfonietta will perform Plainscapes by Pēteris Vasks: a meditative work in which choir and strings merge into a serene landscape of sound. The renowned Quatuor Danel will also be heard in this closing concert.

In Polderklanken, four key composers from the Dutch musical landscape take centre stage: Rudolf Escher, Robert Heppener, Elmer Schönberger, and Mathilde Wantenaar.

Mare Nostrum explores the connections between music from different countries around the Mediterranean, featuring works by Fawaz Baker and Komitas Vardapet

This program brings together two approaches to Russian Orthodox choral music, rooted in the same tradition but emerging in entirely different times and contexts: works by Schnittke and Kalinnikov.

An ode to Philip Glass on the occasion of his birthday. The program combines choral and harp works by Glass, from opera to film scores and solos, and places them in the broader landscape of minimal music that includes Caroline Shaw.

Icarus: a lively and magical musical adventure, full of courage and fun. For children 8 years and older and their parents

In Cantigas, you will hear the music that once echoed through the streets of Córdoba: an enchanting selection of Marian songs from the Cantigas de Santa Maria and Arabo-Andalusian pieces that are still sung and played in the Maghreb today.

Zapp Matthaus (NL) is the St Matthew Passion in a one-hour version for children: two friends bring the story of football coach Jesus and his teammates to life — a story of friendship, betrayal, and playing until darkness falls.

Cappella Amsterdam and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century perform the St Matthew Passion under the direction of conductor Daniel Reuss. Their long-standing collaboration fosters a seamless unity and a deeply refined interpretation, allowing the music and text to resonate in their full expressive power.

A new tradition: Cappella Amsterdam performs Arvo Pärt’s rarely heard Kanon Pokajanen (1997), a monumental choral masterpiece. With simple yet profound musical means, Pärt creates a deeply immersive experience, blending meditative resonance, hushed recitatives, and rich harmonies. Rooted in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this kanon of repentance transcends time, offering a rare and moving moment of musical contemplation.