Orchestra
Het Orkest Amsterdam is an amateur symphony orchestra with dedicated and experienced musicians. Under the direction of conductor Jacob Slagter and in collaboration with occasional soloists, the orchestra performs a varied program three times a year, ranging from major symphonic works to modern compositions and film scores.
Jacob Slagter
Jacob Slagter has been leading Het Orkest Amsterdam since 2014. We're thrilled that Jacob, with his drive, inspiration, and humor, provides us with a wonderful evening every week, and that he elevates our playing to musical heights during the concerts.
Play along!
We currently have several vacancies, you can apply here If you'd like to join Het Orkest Amsterdam, we'd love to invite you to an audition. Would you like to play first? String players are welcome to join us for a few rehearsals. Wind players can apply, and we'll explore the possibilities.
Het Orkest Amsterdam on tour
In 2026, our orchestra will embark on a domestic tour, visiting beautiful Friesland. The birthplace of Jan Jacob Slauerhoff, Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Ferry Doedens, Cissy van Marxveldt, Gerrit Hiemstra, Doutzen Kroes, Epke Zonderland, and of course, our own Jacob Slagter!
We'll perform Anton Bruckner's monumental Sixth Symphony, a highlight and rarely performed in Friesland. We'll also perform a world premiere, a new work by Frisian composer Hoite Pruiksma. It's a symphonic poem on Ukrainian themes.
We are giving three concerts in Friesland:
March 13, 8:00 PM in Franeker (Martini Church)
March 14, 8:00 PM in Leeuwarden (Great or Jacobin Church)
March 15, 3:00 PM in Bolsward (Martini Church)
We will also perform this program on March 29th, in the Duif in Amsterdam.
Shostakovich's Second Cello Concerto
Brahms's Fourth Symphony
On November 29th and 30th, we performed Shostakovich's mysterious, beautiful, and poignant cello concerto with Isaac Lottman. Isaac's immense talent was once again evident. He played beautifully!
After the intermission, we played Brahms's Fourth Symphony. A delightful piece that will stay in your head for days. Bad? Absolutely not!
Read the program booklet for this concert here , with an explanation of the lives and works of Emilie Mayer, Dimitri Shostakovich and Johannes Brahms.
Family concert 'Animal Gang'
On June 15th we played twice in a row in theater De Krakeling. Both times the hall was completely filled with children and their parents. Our bassoonist Ludian Schaling fulfilled the role of storyteller. She did that wonderfully, with enormous passion. She managed to entertain the children for an hour with her stories.
Our viola player Koos Palmboom wrote the beautiful arrangements. This resulted in a musical performance with pieces of music by Berg, Respighi, Weill, Saint Saens, Bradley Josquin and Haydn, among others.