A world of insects 1
start: from February 2026 / various dates
School project for groups 5 to 8 primary schools in Zeist and surrounding areas. Workshops at school with a festive conclusion in the Great Hall during the festival week. Registration is no longer possible.
From Wednesday 13 to Sunday 24 May 2026, the tenth edition of Internationaal Lied Festival Zeist, our anniversary edition, will take place with the theme ‘Back to Nature’! Nature, the world around us, of which we are a part, the nature we can ‘make’ and break. Nature is also the inspiration for so many beautiful lieds from then to now, including for our school youth.
In the school project A world full of insects Storyteller Eric Borrias brings the story Erik or the little bug book to life. Composer of the Netherlands Anne-Maartje Lemereis composed the projectlied, Mary Heylema wrote the lyrics.
We invite you to take part in this lied class project for primary schools with pupils from groups 5, 6, 7 and/or 8. Join us and listen to the voice of nature together with school pupils!
The aim is to encourage and develop pupils' singing pleasure and talent, by rehearsing the projectliederen with all participating schools and working on a special performance. Because singing together is the basis of musical development. In April/May 2026, Roel Vogel, music teacher and choral conductor, will give two singing lessons at school to rehearse the liederen. On Wednesday 20 May, Wednesday 27 May, or Friday 29 May 2026, the festive presentation will take place at the home school, led by Roel Vogel with Sjoerd Brouwer at the piano. Eric Borrias tells the story and the parents and other groups of the school are the audience. An unforgettable experience!
A world full of insects
One night, Erik ends up in the painting full of insects above his bed. At once he is no bigger than the insects around him. At first, everything is wonderful: no homework, no nagging parents, plenty of honey and everyone has great admiration for that strange ‘bug’ called man.
But Erik soon discovers that even in the insect world, every creature has its own peculiarities, that it too is full of braggarts, branies and vanities. He meets the wasp family, stays in a snail's shell, helps butterflies in love, but is also nearly eaten by a spider, after which a bunch of gravediggers want to use him as a meal! So it's not all that fun either. How does he get back into the world outside the painting?
The musical basis of this project is the poem A world full of insects written by Mary Heylema and set to music by Anne-Maartje Lemereis, Composer of the Netherlands. Eric Borrias tells the story Erik or the little bug book, the school classes sing the projectlied and the liederen and canons appropriate to the different scenes of this beautiful story. Some liederen the pupils sing with body percussion, developed by music teacher Heiko de Jonge.
The project concludes with a festive performance at Friday morning 22 May in the Grote Kerkzaal on Zusterplein in Zeist, where the pupils will sing the liederen under the direction of choir conductor Annemiek van der Ven, with Matthijs Overmars at the piano and with storyteller Eric Borrias. The audience consists of (grand)parents, interested parties and festival visitors. Admission is free.
The school's group teacher and/or music teacher studies thelied project with the pupils A world full of insects in as well as a number of other liederen and canons from the project. Each school will receive the following lessons and materials for the participating groups:
Don't have a group teacher or music teacher who can teach singing lessons at school? It is also possible to have singing lessons given by an enthusiastic singing teacher from the Internationaal Lied Festival Zeist. Singing teachers Lea Zantinge or Joëlle Ocheng will then provide five singing lessons at your school between February and April 2026:
In the period between the singing lessons, the group teacher will continue practising in class so that the pupils can sing the liederen properly during the festive performance. Naturally, you will also receive the materials and support described above.
sign up
until 15 September 2025
placement
15 to 19 September 2025
school visit project management
project information and coordinating timetable singing lessons at school
September - November 2025
start learning projectliedeaching at one's own school
from February 2026
all singing lessons by singing teacher Lea Zantinge or Joëlle Ocheng (optional)
February - April 2026
body percussion workshop by music teacher Heiko de Jonge
April 2026
rehearsal at own school with choral conductor Annemiek van der Ven and pianist Matthijs Overmars
in the week from 12 to 16 May 2026
dress rehearsal
Great Hall EBG 9.00 - 10.15 a.m.
Friday 22 May 2026
performance
Great Hall EBG 11.00 - 12.00 hrs.
Friday 22 May 2026
Participation in the lied class project costs €175 per school. The cost including five extra singing lessons by singing teacher Lea Zantinge is € 350 per school. If several groups from a school participate and the singing lessons for two or more groups each have to be scheduled separately, an additional € 175 per extra group will be charged. Parents and other interested parties attend the final performance free of charge. During the performance, there is an opportunity for the audience to donate to the education projects.
Registration is possible until Monday 15 September 2025 by sending an email or calling project manager Tyche Jacobs: t.jacobs@ilfz.nl / 06 5535 6397. When registering, please indicate the number of students you wish to participate with. There is room for up to five schools. Placement is in order of entry. In the week of 15 to 19 September 2025 we will contact you about the placement.