In Crossing Forward, two renowned musical ensembles – Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in England and Het Muziek in the Netherlands – have each been hosting an international composer for a longer period of time; working together extensively. Dutch composer Jasper de Bock was matched with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group while English composer Fraz Ireland has been working with Het Muziek in Amsterdam.

Soon, audiences can find out what they have been up to. De Bock’s Salute to Ludwig van will have its world premiere in the CBSO Centre in Birmingham on 22 November, while the new music created by Ireland and Het Muziek will premiere in Amsterdam on 10 December.

The Embassy of the Netherlands in the UK had connected the two arts funds on both sides of the North Sea with each other. Soon after, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Het Muziek got involved. Not much later an open call went out to look for composers. And then the magic – and hard work – happened.

Other residencies

Crossing Forward is not the only artist-in-residence project in which the Dutch embassy in the UK played a small part, but it was by far the largest this year, involving dozens of musicians.
Other artist residencies in the UK that were supported by us include a six week residency at Van Gogh House London for Dutch artists Annabelle Binnerts and Bart Lunenburg, and a longer stint for Alexis Blake at Cove Park in Scotland will happen this autumn, allowing her to develop new work that will go on show at The Common Guild and Take Me Somewhere Festival in Glasgow in autumn 2027.

Dutch artists Annabelle Binnerts and Bart Lunenburg at Van Gogh House London

For big and small

On the other side of the spectrum, the embassy has also been supporting relatively inexpensive and small scale international cultural collaborations. For instance, actor Ton Meijer had been invited by a group of libraries in Devon and a group of libraries in Greater Manchester to perform his one man theatre show for young children and their parents. Through this show, Be Europe, Meijer shares his love for European music, theatre and literature. All Ton Meijer travels with is one suitcase that contains his set and props – and bags of storytelling skills. The libraries offer their space for free and make sure audiences are in the room.
Ton is wrapping up his tour in the North of England now. Next stop: Portugal. He’s planning to tour the whole of Europe. What an energy and passion!

Ton Meijer has been performing Be Europe in libraries up and down the country

Inspired by nature

The film North Sea, Nature Untamed is now showing in UK cinemas. This film comes highly recommended. It’s BBC quality film footage combined with fantastic storytelling, great music and stunning shots of the miraculous nature right on our doorstep. We love this film. And we are not the only ones who were completely in awe with what we saw on the big screen. The Guardian spoke with the Dutch filmmakers, resulting in a wonderful article about the film, the makers and the North Sea. Make sure to contact your local cinema and ask when they will be screening the film!

Another artistic production inspired by nature is the exhibition Branching Beneath the Fields at the Food Museum in Stowmarket. Netherlands-based artist Annabel Howland, originally from East Anglia, has been fascinated by the symbiosis between plants and soil fungi for many years. She makes intricate underground processes visible through microscope images, drawings, sculpture and sound. The works on display at the Food Museum, from 3 October until 1 November, have been created in collaboration with food producers, scientists at the University of Cambridge and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and the Institute for Sustainable Worlds at Norwich University of the Arts.

From niche to mainstream

Cultural projects only receive financial support from the embassy if it’s clear that these aren’t financially viable without such support. That means that quite a few artistic exchanges supported by us are for a rather niche audience.

In the weekend of 25 to 27 September, Abandon Normal Devices Festival in Barnsley shows the audiovisual production Chaos Theory by Dutch artist duo Metahaven, with support from the Dutch Embassy in the UK.

That same weekend, we are also supporting the XMTR Audio Art Festival in Hastings to bring to the stage Buy Me A Drink And I’ll Tell You A Story by Dutch artist duo URLAND.

The biennial audiovisual festival Sonica in Glasgow is happening this week as well. Sonica has again programmed various Dutch artists. Sara Vrugt's art installation Unearthed , accompanied by a soundscape played by Ensemble Klang, aims to show us where mankind has gone wrong. Visitors to Unearthed lie on the floor, looking up to a network of hundreds of chiming bells on what looks like the roots of a tree, contemplating manmade environmental disasters. It sounds heavy, but we promise the experience will be gentle and soothing. This installation is part of a larger exhibition at The Pollok House and can be visited from 24 September to 3 October.

Dutch musician Thomas Ankersmith will be performing at Sonica, too. Also at The Pollok House. His performance is on 27 September (listen here to an excerpt from his music, performed on a very niche instrument called Serge Modular) and on 28 September Ankersmith will give a hands-on workshop on making music with the Serge Modular.

Unearthed by Sara Vrugt. Photo: De Schaapjesfabriek 

Although we only support cultural activities that can’t go ahead without government support, that doesn’t mean only artists in a niche field of work get our support. Very big theatre productions are often so costly to tour internationally that even some of the biggest names in dance or theatre sometimes get support from us. For instance, in August we supported three performances by International Theatre Amsterdam at Edinburgh International Festival.

Gathering under the Dance Umbrella

Dutch choreographer Arno Schuitemaker brings seven dancers together beneath a single strip of light in After After , staged at The Place in London on 21 October, as part of the Dance Umbrella festival. What if “the after” is not a future to wait for, but something to rehearse together?

Arno Schuitemaker and his team are not the only Dutch dance creatives at Dance Umbrella. Performing Arts Fund NL is also making it possible for a number of other dance professionals to join the delegates programme and participate in Dance Umbrella’s Diversifying Cultural Stewardship programme, aimed a reimagining who curates dance practices, how curatorial power is held, and how diverse perspectives enrich the future of the artform.

After After by Arno Schuitemaker is coming to The Place, as part of Dance Umbrella

Light Festival Leeds

In Yorkshire, almost everyone knows about Light Night Leeds. Spread over two nights, the festival draws about 200,000 people to the city centre. Amazing light installations are put up across the city. At almost every edition thus far, Dutch art has been included in the festival. Light Night Leeds 2026 is no different. Ghost Town by Front 404 is inspired by the wild animals that started appearing in urban spaces during Covid lockdowns. STRINGED by Gijs van Bon will project poetry written by the local people of Leeds. STRINGED is produced in collaboration with the University of Leeds and the UK’s National Poetry Centre, which will move to the university campus in Leeds. Light Night Leeds happens on 28 and 29 October.

Poetry tour

Dutch poet Anne Vegter and her Dutch to English translator Astrid Alben are coming to a book shop near you in November (if you are in Glasgow, London, Sheffield or Liverpool on 16, 17, 18 and 19 November). Following the acclaimed island mountain glacier (2022), Anne Vegter’s new poetry collection Pig Data exposes the raw nerves of power and desire. The judges of the Ida Gerhardt Poetry Prize said about Vegter's work: ‘Vegter’s linguistic universe is unique. She knows how to use language to seduce, comfort, surround and carve out a place of her own. Vegter knows how to make contradictions her strength and blows the reader away with swings between tenderness and rage, hesitation and wisdom.’

On the fringes of Frieze

Frieze Art Fair in London attracts art collectors from across the world. This is where commercial art galleries sell works for astronomical amounts of money. Not something the embassy gets involved in. But on the fringes of Frieze, when the global art world has descended upon London, many creative art spaces throughout the British capital take the opportunity to show what they are all about. Various Dutch artists will have their work exhibited at such spaces during Frieze 2027. For instance, Casper ter Heerdt currently has a solo exhibition at Tension Gallery in the South London suburb Penge and Minne Kersten has taken over Ginny on Frederick (both exhibitions run until 17 October). Furthermore, Yolande Sep has informed us that she will be at Art Expo London and Philip Vermeulen is bringing his work Chasing The Dot to the former St Pancras Town Hall, which is now simply called Town Hall. These two latter exhibitions will only be on for three days during Frieze. (There are likely works by Dutch artists on sale at Frieze Art Fair itself, but we are not aware of any details.)

At the residence of the Dutch ambassador to the UK we will also be hosting a small reception with the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten during Frieze. This wonderful Amsterdam-based organisation, which supports dozens of artists in their development every year, wants to inform an international audience about the work they do; and what is needed to keep that work going.

Dutch jazz musicians featured in Women in Jazz Media

Ending on a musical note

After more than 35 years playing jazz, improvisation, and world music, Dutch drummer Joost Lijbaart felt the need to return to the essence of making music: attention, simplicity and genuine connection. This search brought him together with singer-songwriter Amelie Spinks and bassist River Adomeit. Playing with these young musicians — Amelie (22), River (28), and Lijbaart (58) — opened a new sense of freedom and vulnerability in their music. For the first time, Lijbaart deliberately lets go of much of his virtuosity as a drummer, choosing instead for simple grooves and a warm, open sound. The trio, called Sunflower, are playing four gigs in the UK this autumn: Ashburton on 6 December, Milton Keynes on 8 December, Newcastle on 9 December and Glasgow on 10 December.

Another Dutch jazz legend, Alexander Beets, returns to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London. Beets, too, has gathered outstanding young musicians around him. This sextet consists of Alexander Beets (tenor sax), Femke Mooren (alto sax), Ellister van der Molen (trumpet), Francisco Rodriguez (piano), Marius Beets (double bass) and Sven Rozier (drums). Expect high energy.

By the way, Femke Mooren’s incredible talent was picked up by jazz magazine Women in Jazz Media earlier this year, when Mooren who performed at Edinburgh Jazz Festival. A first article featuring Mooren was already published in the July edition of the magazine and an interview with Femke Mooren will appear in Women in Jazz Media next magazine as well.

Lastly, we would like to mention that Benny Sings will be back in London. He will perform songs from his new album 22 Durnham Dew at Islington Assembly Hall on 1 December.

Contact us

Find more information on our website about how the Dutch embassy in the London implements the international cultural policy of the Netherlands in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Questions? Contact us on lon-ppc@minbuza.nl.