"I know of no peer of Amare in the world," says Geesje Prins, head of programme at The Hague Palace of Culture. "The combination of housemates in one building is unique: the Residentie Orkest (RO), the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), the Royal Conservatoire (KC) and ourselves. And that combined with two large halls - the Concert Hall and the Dance Theatre - and the publicly accessible space on the ground floor where there are continuous free programmes. Under the banner 'Open Amare', there is the opportunity for everyone there to do something of their own from early morning to late evening. Suppose, as a visitor, you go to a dance performance and upon entering you see that there is Latin dancing to live music. That is a fine entry. Different audience groups meet like that."

Amare has a strong bond with The Hague’s community. “We want the city’s cultural diversity reflected in our programmes,” says Prins. “It’s easy to put on a St Matthew Passion or a Christmas concert, but The Hague has so much more to commemorate and celebrate, and that deserves a place too.”

The programme also features international productions with local ties. “Next spring we’ll host Skatepark from Belgium, a show that’s toured all the major festivals. It connects beautifully with the skaters from the Spuiplein, who will also take part.”

Fine-tuned collaboration

The Residentie Orkest and Nederlands Dans Theater fill about a third of Amare’s schedule. “We handle the rest in close coordination,” Prins explains. “Alongside symphonic concerts we present baroque ensembles, choirs, crossovers, piano recitals and chamber music in the Nieuwe Kerk. We often collaborate, like the Hello Cello Days and the upcoming Klaas de Vries festival.In dance we aim for range: classical ballet, modern and contemporary work, flamenco, African and Indian traditions and hip-hop. It’s great to invite choreographers connected to NDT with their own companies too, like this season’s Until We Sleep by Olivier Award winner Botis Seva and his company Far From the Norm.”

Next summer the Norwegian National Ballet presents two programmes dedicated to Jiří Kylián. “Kylián is, of course, The Hague’s pride,” says Prins. “We’re organising this retrospective with the Kylián Foundation and Holland Dance Festival.” The Norwegian company holds the largest Kylián repertoire in the world after NDT.

Dance fund and shared vision

Amare also partners regularly with Holland Dance Festival through the Fonds Internationale Dans, or FIND. Together they select and finance international top productions, with NDT as an advisory partner. “We use each other’s networks to make things happen that would be harder alone,” says Prins. “Like Sutra, the audience favourite by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui with 21 Shaolin monks on stage, a piece of timeless power that bridges cultures with honesty and imagination.” Cherkaoui, who has already attracted 250,000 audience members worldwide, will return to the Netherlands this year. Sutra remains universal and possesses a timeless power. As a bridge-builder, Cherkaoui brings cultures together in a way that is both eclectic and marked by integrity.

Sutra - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Shaolin monks - May 2025 Amare © Hugo Glendinning

Under the skin

Of NDT’s productions Prins highlights Into the Hairy by Sharon Eyal. “Her style is so distinctive, hypnotic and edgy. It blends underground club vibes with something dystopian. It really gets under your skin. At Amare she’ll bring an extended version with her own company alongside NDT – a fascinating mix.”

Musically Prins looks forward to Bach Collegium Japan. “They were here for the first time two years ago. They started as a baroque orchestra but now play a much wider repertoire. They perform on the world’s biggest stages and return to us in February with Mozart’s Requiem.”

Exclusive to Amare is the World Master Pianists series. “Together with impresario Friso Verschoor we present artists like András Schiff and Evgeny Kissin, all happy to come to The Hague. Next season we’re adding Fazıl Say, performing the Goldberg Variations.”

Quest

Programming music, Prins says, is always a balancing act. “Of course we have the great repertoire, but we also give space to new work. In March the Helsinki Chamber Choir returns with music by Kaija Saariaho, who passed away recently. Their recordings even won a Grammy.”

Geesje Prins calls Amare “a fantastic place to work.” She helped shape it from the start and still feels its energy every day. “Amare is an asset to The Hague in every way.”

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