artistic direction and vision

But a song festival is worthy of its name only because of the people who carry it. First and foremost is our artistic director of the first hour: Robert Holl. Without exaggeration, he is one of the greatest singers and pedagogues of our time. For over 50 years, he has touched audiences with his fantastic voice and expression. His inspiration is felt by all when he performs solo or with his ensembles and when he gives master classes.

Holl's inspiration extends beyond his world-class voice and his years of collaboration with countless singers, pianists and other top-level musicians. Through his years of studying the song repertoire and poetry, he developed a unique vision of the art of song, in which he sees it as an opportunity to promote humanity and Freundschaftlichkeit between people. The composer Schubert and the poet Goethe are central figures in this, but his knowledge of the total repertoire is unsurpassed and produces the most lived performances.

Robert Holl already transmitted his vision of art and music-making with verve to generations of singers and pianists. In the Netherlands and abroad, baritone Henk Neven and pianist Hans Eijsackers are prominent musicians who carry on his message. Together with Robert Holl, they prepared the programming for the 2022 festival and subsequently took over the art direction from him.