J.M. Vogl-stichting: Voor De Zangkunst

Troubadours…! is a recital that touches on the very essence of music: telling stories, breaking down barriers and bringing people together. Although the selected songs were written some time ago, their themes remain relevant today. The stories encourage reflection and lead to unexpected (beautiful, interesting) experiences.
 
In this recital, baritone Vincent Kusters and pianist Ed Spanjaard perform songs by a number of well-known composers: Schubert, Loewe, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Busoni, Debussy and Butterworth. These are stories about human experiences, emotions and desires that were captured in poetry by poets and set to music by composers. It is up to the troubadour to bring them to life time and again, to carry them across borders and bring them to the people.

Vincent Kusters and Ed Spanjaard are thus following a centuries-old tradition of singers and storytellers from bygone eras. In their day, they were not hindered by geographical boundaries nor did they allow themselves to be hindered by cultural boundaries. Today we live in a world where people themselves often travel, voluntarily, for work or holidays, or through migration, whether voluntary or not. Yet, as a result, borders seem to be becoming more, rather than less, visible. Music and stories blur borders; they connect and bring people together again, now as in times gone by.
 
Baritone Vincent Kusters will perform this concert with pianist Ed Spanjaard, who is one of the Netherlands’ leading musicians and is known to a wide audience for his appearances on the television programme Maestro, amongst other things. An interesting detail is that the concert will take place at Opus 9 (Theresiakerk), the rehearsal space of Philzuid, of which Ed Spanjaard is the honorary conductor.

Kusters and Spanjaard have performed together before, including during the Opmaatconcert voor de Heiligdomsvaart in the Sint Janskerk (Maastricht, 2025) and in the moederdagspecial (2025) by Podium Klassiek. Their collaboration guarantees an interpretation characterised by great expressiveness and musical refinement.