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audition

The next audition will take place on Saturday 24 January 2026 at ArtEZ Conservatorium, Aan de Stadsmuur 88 in Zwolle.

Vrienden van het Lied looks back with pride and enthusiasm on the 2024, 2025 and 2026 audition years.

The next audition will take place on Saturday 22 January 2028. Vrienden van het Lied looks forward to welcoming many promising musicians again then.

Vrienden van het Lied looks back with pride and enthusiasm on the audition years 2024, 2025 and 2026. During this period, no fewer than twelve new lied duos were accepted, a wonderful enrichment of our pool of musicians.

The auditions have once again shown how vibrant lied is and how much interest there is among both young and old. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performances of the many talented duos that presented themselves.

Our thanks go out to the three full juries. With their expertise, knowledge and experience, they made every audition day an inspiring and successful event.

Next audition day?

Following a careful pre-selection by the RAA, on Saturday 22 January 2028 the next audition day will take place.
Vrienden van het Lied is looking forward to welcoming many promising musicians once again.

are you

Looking for a larger audience that loves song? Then audition at Vrienden van het Lied: the stage for everyone who loves the art of song.
The association offers song duos the opportunity to perform recitals on small stages and in living rooms, allowing audiences to enjoy the intimacy of song.
A jury composed of musicians who have earned their spurs on the song art stage will judge the participating duos. A duo consists of a singer and an instrumentalist.

will sit on the 2026 jury:

The 2026 jury will include:

  • Lenneke Ruiten, soprano
  • Sasja Hunnego, singing teacher Conservatorium van Amsterdam
  • Micha van Weers, pianist
  • Maarten Hillenius, pianist and former artistic advisory board member
  • Jan Willem Baljet, baritone and member advisory board for artistic affairs
  • Joost van der Linden, chairman (board member)

important dates

The next audition will take place on Saturday 24 January 2026 from 11am.

The application period runs from Monday 1 September to Sunday 23 November 2025 - midnight. Please note that a maximum of 10 pairs can be placed.

After 15 December 2025, you will hear whether you will be invited for the audition on 24 January 2026.

admission

When you want to audition:

  • as a singer, you are able to sing the songs you bring by heart.
  • are you and your duo partner prepared to perform concerts together after admission to our database of performing musicians

 

Keep in mind that as a duo, you cannot audition more than twice.

after admission

Musicians who perform for Vrienden van het Lied are eligible, in addition to their fees, for an allowance for travel expenses incurred over distances greater than 200 km. Travel expenses are calculated over the total kilometres made exclusively within the Netherlands.

Travel expenses incurred for the audition will not be reimbursed.

sign up

Registration is possible from 1 September 2025 by a fully completed registration form send in a programme of up to 15 minutes.

Registration closes at midnight on Sunday, 23 November.

Registration forms received after this time cannot be processed.

Mandatory components of this programme are:

  • a song from after 1900 by a Dutch composer, not necessarily Dutch-speaking
  • a German-language song from German Romanticism
  • a French-language song by a composer of your choice

 

Please state for each song:

  • the title of the song including the opus number
  • the composer's full name, date of birth and death
  • the name of the lyricist
  • the exact duration of each song

 

In doing so, upload the following attachments:

  • a copy of a valid EU passport or residence permit valid in the EU with the endorsement ‘work is freely permitted’, of yourself and your duo partner. This is necessary in connection with contracting musicians, who will perform for Friends of the Song after a successful audition.


Send us a link:

  • to a recent video recording(s) of you as a duo with three songs including at least one German-language song from German Romanticism and one French-language song of your choice.


Announcement of selected duos:
All video recording(s) are reviewed by the artistic affairs advisory board (RAA).
From 15 December 2025, it will be announced which duos have been admitted to auditions on 24 January 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered.


Cost of participation audition:
The cost for participating in the audition on 24 January is €60.00 per duo.


Payment:
After admission, this amount should be credited to the following account number by 7 January 2026:
IBAN NL 70 INGB 0000 326 329
In the name of Vrienden van het Lied
stating ‘participation audition’ and the name of your duo.

For questions about participating in the auditions, please send an email to auditie@vvhl.nl.

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location

ArtEZ Conservatoire
At the City Wall 88
8011 VD Zwolle

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