Every year, Ars Musica kicks off the new calendar year with a New Year’s Concert centered on a socially relevant theme.
The 2027 New Year’s Concert will take place on Friday, January 8, 2027, at the Augustijnenkerk in Dordrecht, and will focus on the theme of “Cultural Connection.” The performers will be the Ars Musica Concert Choir and the Ars Musica Orchestra, and the concert will be conducted by Ars Musica’s chief conductor and artistic director, Patrick van der Linden.
This New Year’s concert will feature a program inspired by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (hereinafter Felix). As a composer, traveler, painter, and letter writer, Felix drew profound inspiration from European culture and nature. His travels through Italy, Scotland, Switzerland, and England nourished his musical imagination and brought him into contact with diverse landscapes, musical styles, and cultures. This artistic journey resonates throughout our New Year’s concert: The project showcases how his music echoes the inspiration he gained during his travels—from rugged Scottish coasts to sunny Italian squares.
We want not only to showcase the beauty of Felix’s music, but also—inspired by the cultural bridge-builder he was—to underscore the importance of cultural openness, curiosity, and connection among people from different backgrounds in today’s multicultural society.
During this New Year’s Concert, we will therefore combine his works with contemporary compositions that engage in a dialogue with the themes of travel, cultural identity, openness, and connection.
The theme of the New Year’s Concert “Felix the Traveler” can therefore be summarized as: “A musical journey with Felix Mendelssohn, inspired by the world he saw and projected onto today’s multicultural society.”The following works are on the program for this “Felix the Traveler” New Year’s Concert by Ars Musica on January 8, 2027:
1. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) – Motets, Op. 39, Nos. 1 and 2 (Rome)
2. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) – Vespergesang, Op. 121
3. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) – String Quartet No. 6 (Switzerland)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), arr. Gottlob Benedict Bierey (1772–1840) – Kyrie, based on the first movement of the “Moonlight Sonata”
5. Eriks Esenvalds (b. 1977) – Northern Lights
6. Cyrillus Kreek (1889–1962) – Psalm 121 (Travel Psalm)
7. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) – The Turtle Dove
8. Vasili Kallinikov (1866–1901) – Cherubic Hymn 2
For more information about the New Year's Concert and how to order tickets, visit: www.arsmusica.nl.
