The Grachtenfestival Ensemble opens the Grachtenfestival 2026 in Valley on the Zuidas. The young musicians perform a new composition by Artist in Residence Arjan Linker, based on the Indian raga Patdeep. The Fried Seven with Laura Dooge closes the evening with swinging early jazz repertoire. New composition based on Indian music The Grachtenfestival Ensemble 2026 consists of young musicians who found each other through an open call by the Grachtenfestival in collaboration with Amarte. The ensemble performs a new composition by Artist in Residence Arjan Linker, based on the Indian raga Patdeep. The work originated as a cello solo, but Linker arranged it specifically for the ensemble's rich instrumentation: clarinet, trombone, accordion, percussion, violin, cello, and double bass. Swinging jazz repertoire by The Fried Seven After the ensemble, The Fried Seven, featuring singer Laura Dooge, takes the stage. The band plays early jazz repertoire by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Duke Ellington, complemented by original arrangements written by the band themselves. Are you interested in an evening of versatile live music in a unique setting? Valley at the Zuidas provides the backdrop for this opening. More performances by the ensemble during the festival The Grachtenfestival Ensemble also performs at other times during the festival. Think of a concert amidst carnivorous plants in the Pantar Market Garden, and a performance during the Beethoven 5 km. Additionally, Arjan Linker's composition can be heard in a version for solo cello, performed by Stefano Bruno in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. This concert is made possible in part by Buma Cultuur and the Amarte Fund.
