About the PopSymphonic Orchestra (PopSymfonisch Orkest)

The Project Orchestra was founded in 2023 by a number of music enthusiasts from music association Lisiduna (hence “powered by…”). The aim was to create a versatile orchestra in which both professional and non-professional musicians perform together in project-based line-ups that change from one project to the next. The primary guiding principle was – and still is – enjoyment! After all, making music – whether composing or performing – is something you do for your own pleasure as well as for that of an audience. It was from this idea that the Project Orchestra was born.

Broad repertoire
The Project Orchestra aims to present as many musical styles as possible to a wide audience, somewhat comparable to the well-known Dutch Metropole Orchestra. At present, the focus of the Project Orchestra is on jazz, blues, film music and chart hits. However, we continue to develop steadily in multiple directions…

Amateur meets professional
Although the Project Orchestra is not a professional orchestra, alongside dedicated amateurs it also features “professionals”. Some of them form part of a more or less permanent core ensemble, while others are engaged for specific projects. It is precisely this combination of amateur and (semi-)professional musicians that makes the Project Orchestra special – and, in a sense, self-learning. After all, you can always learn from one another, which ultimately benefits not only the playing quality of the individual orchestra members, but above all that of the Project Orchestra as a whole!

On stage yourself, or would you rather be in the audience?
Anyone who loves music is more than welcome – of course as a member of the audience, but also as a participant! If you prefer to remain a spectator, that’s great! As a Project Orchestra, we make music for you, and without an audience we would have no reason to exist… But playing along yourself is also an option! Because, well, without dedicated orchestra members, that reason for existence would equally disappear…

Commitment, but nothing is compulsory
As a member of the Project Orchestra you do commit to our shared ambition to make good music for a broad audience, but you are not tied down to anything. That is to say: naturally, we count on you at rehearsals and performances and expect 100% commitment and enthusiasm, but at the same time you are completely free to indicate where your personal preferences lie. So if you particularly enjoy playing swinging jazz and blues and would rather not take part in performances where, for example, film music is central, that’s absolutely fine. No problem at all. Because that is exactly why we are a Project Orchestra: each of our projects forms a self-contained whole centred on a specific musical genre or theme. Not your thing? No worries – you simply join a different project.

Solo? Or would you rather play as part of a group?
The Project Orchestra offers opportunities across a wide range of disciplines, from vocalists to percussionists, from brass players to guitarists, and just about everything in between. (We don’t yet have a full string section, but we are full of healthy ambition…) Our “standard” line-up consists of 40–50 orchestra members, often supplemented by one or more soloists (vocal and/or instrumental) and sometimes even a full choir. Do you have the ambition to perform as a soloist within our Project Orchestra? Let us know, and we’ll explore the possibilities together!

You really have to experience it yourself!
The enthusiasm of the participants, what drives them and what they stand for – as individuals, as a group, as an orchestra – could fill an entire book. But words alone, even when embellished with a few pictures, don’t quite capture it. The informal atmosphere during rehearsals combined with the passion of the orchestra members; the symphonic heights you can reach together; the fun, interspersed with tingling tension; the pure blare of the brass and the driving rhythm of the drums on stage, culminating in a resonant apotheosis… followed by a complete release after that elegant yet firm, staccato downward sweep of the baton – all of this you really have to experience for yourself! Because that is, and always will be, the essence: a unique musical experience with enjoyment as its starting point!

So, do you play an instrument of your own and have the cheerful images on this website stirred something in you? Does joining us appeal to you? Would you like to push your musical boundaries? Then sign up now with the most enjoyable Project Orchestra in the Netherlands! *Andiamo!*

With musical regards,

The Project Orchestra Team