Music as a means to express your feelings, to experiment with it in a safe environment, to listen to each other, to inspire one another, and above all, to experience immense musical joy. That’s what Unlocked is all about. It’s a unique moment where musicians from the NBE and jongNBE share the stage to do the most enjoyable thing there is: making music together.

Unlocked was born during the lockdown. When musicians could hardly perform, the NBE and jongNBE created a safe space to express themselves. Unheard-of beautiful things emerged there. We now carry this idea forward into other times. Even now, it’s delightful to step outside the strict lines of classical music and create beautiful things together.

No rules, just lots of energy, courage, and freedom. That’s why we play music by composers who have freed themselves from rigid traditions and songs that have liberated peoples from oppression.

Our group of musicians and the audience encompass many generations and cultures. To celebrate this, our program includes music from the various countries our NBE players come from. This way, we are guests of one another.

Because there are very few spots available, the audience is by invitation only; no tickets are for sale. If you are one of the lucky ones to attend, you will be literally embraced by the music, as the stages are not only in front of but also behind and beside the audience. Fortunately, we can give away a few tickets for Unlocked on Wednesday afternoon at the PHIL in Haarlem, send us an email at info@nbe.nl if you would like to attend. We will also record the concerts so that everyone can experience this special event.

The program includes, besides original works, compositions by Claude Debussy, Gordon Goodwin, Eric Whitacre, Pixinguinha, Paco De Lucia, and Arvo Pärt.