A journey through folk music and baroque splendor.special: with new works by Celia Swart, Anthony Fiumara and Renske Vrolijk
Music is boundless. Throughout the centuries, composers have been inspired by the folk music that surrounded them. In Baroque Folk Black Pencil dives into the intriguing connections between baroque music and the rich traditions of folk music from various cultures. A program that sparkles with virtuosity, emotion, and surprises.
Folk-inspired music has always been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Black Pencil. The ensemble is drawn to the expressiveness of folk elements: at times this manifests as complex, raw, and powerful, at other times as subtle, gentle, and simple. In Baroque Folk The five musicians, with their wide array of instruments, celebrate how folk music not only influenced Baroque masters but also continues to fascinate and move us today.
It takes you on a musical journey of discovery, where two worlds go hand in hand and boundaries blur. Let yourself be surprised by the versatility and perfect harmony of baroque and folk during this concert program. Experience the fusion of these cultures, together with Ensemble Black Pencil.
Specially for the concert in Vlissingen, works written for Land Art artworks will be added. Including the work ‘Tij’ by Celia Swart, who was born and raised in Vlissingen. But also new work by Anthony Fiumara ‘Exposure’ (2025) and Renske Vrolijk ‘Shrad’ (2026).
Folk music in Baroque sounds: Black Pencil's journey through countries and times
The program features masterpieces by Georg Philipp Telemann and Jean Hotteterre. In addition, Black Pencil makes room for beautiful baroque traditions from Ireland and Scandinavia, and Old Slavic traditional songs. Each piece receives the unique Black Pencil touch: a playful combination of traditional instruments and surprising arrangements.
Over Black Pencil
Black Pencil is a game-changer ensemble with over a thousand years of music history as their playground. The possibilities of an enormous collection of recorders, pan flutes, viola, accordion, and percussion are endless – just like the curiosity and imagination of the five musicians.
The international ensemble, based in Flevoland, is a welcome guest in classical concert halls and on stages and festivals in the Netherlands, as well as in Germany, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Denmark, Indonesia, and Venezuela. The musicians organize their own concert series in Amsterdam and Almere and collaborate with other ensembles, Land Art Flevoland, and Schokland UNESCO World Heritage site, among others.
This year marks the ensemble's 15th anniversary. The group continuously challenges itself to generate new work and invites prominent and emerging composers from all corners of the globe to do so. With respect, knowledge, and refinement, the most beautiful music is lifted from its historical context and brought into a refreshing new light. Since the group's founding in 2010, 500 new pieces have been composed for Black Pencil. The band has successfully released several albums. Recent projects connect Black Pencil with the worlds of virtual reality, theater, dance, and landscape art.
Jorge Isaac (recorder)
Matthijs Koene (pan flute)
Esra Pehlivanli (viola)
Marko Kassl (accordion)
Enric Monfort (percussion)
This concert is part of a series of Summer Evening Concerts by Cultuurpodium Sint-Jacobskerk.
