Capstone festival

- Free entrance. No reservation necessary -

Experience the music at Conservatorium Maastricht's Capstone Festival on November 28, 2023. Five chamber music ensembles, in their third year of the Classical Bachelor programme, will take you on a captivating journey. Each ensemble selected an original repertoire piece, sparking a creative process that blends analysis, reflection, improvisation, experimentation, and composition. This concert is a harmonious collaboration between the departments of music theory, music history, and chamber music performance. Don't miss this opportunity to witness the transformation of musical ideas into mesmerizing performances.

About the programme

Impression, soleil levant – Claude Monet

Réflexions et impressions

“The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.” - Gabrielle Bernstein

Prior to this project, we researched how composers of the late 19th century were influenced by their environment and the political situation of the world.

During the performance, we will musically elaborate the differences between French composer Claude Debussy with his impressionism, and German composer Gustav Mahler with his Romantic tendencies.

We want to show how musicians from the same period can develop very distinct styles even if their environment seems similar.

Based on Piano Trio in G major by Claude Debussy and Piano Quartet in A minor by Gustav Mahler.

Flute - Lance Weisen

Cello - Péter Massányi

Piano, Organ - Alexandra Săndulescu

Kaze no monogatori

Kaze no monogatori, - Tales of The Wind- takes you on a journey exploring nature in all its aspects. Ranging from the Japanese god of the wind to Debussy’s fascination for Eastern culture we’ll explore different approaches to portraying ‘nature’ in music. Together with the audience we embark on a trip filled with classical music, improvisation, innovative sounds and light-effects.

Flute - Liesl Vanoverberghe

Harp - Paula Vicente Romero

Viola - Helena De Bruyn

Hommage à l’hommage

In 1941, the French composer Francis Poulenc wrote an ‘Hommage à Schubert‘ as part of his cycle of improvisations, showing his affection for this composer who knew how to touch and inspire him from his early childhood on.

In 2023, touched by the work of Poulenc, four students pay tribute to the work of these two composers by highlighting the hidden links that unite them, while paying homage to these two greats musicians from the perspective of their own era.

Mikayel Voskanyan – Cello

Henrik Hörtner – Guitar

Théo Dufour – Guitar

Prawira Pijloo – Guitar

When does speaking end and singing begin?

A vocal study for 4 sopranos on how certain vocal techniques are used in the ‘Allemande’ from the ‘Partita for 8 voices‘ by Caroline Shaw and how these are reflected in their collective search for a Gigue.

Luna Gräfin von Hardenberg – Soprano

Malena Hoffmann – Soprano

Nora Tarraf – Soprano

Sarah Meyer – Soprano

"Saudade - Fado meets Mozart"

In this performance titled "Saudade - Fado meets Mozart" we bring together the emotional essence of traditional music from Portugal, the Fado, and the timeless beauty of Mozart's compositions to express the feeling of Saudade.

Through the melancholic melodies of Fado and the intricate harmonies of Mozart, we create a musical journey that captures the bittersweet longing and nostalgia associated with Saudade. The fusion of these two genres allows us to evoke a deep emotional connection and introspective musical experience to each listener.

Vasco Sequeira - violin,

Marta Fonseca - guitar

Eduardo Cal - guitar

Silvia Martín González - saxophone