KZV Excelsior
Introduction
Koninklijke Zangvereniging Excelsior (Royal Choir Excelsior) was founded in 1881(!). We give performances normally twice a year in the Hague of both traditional and more modern works, including Bach, Handel, Poulenc and Vaughan Williams. The choir has a loyal following and is also attracting a wider audience – most recently over a 1100 for our performance of the St Matthew’s Passion at the Amare in the Hague. Excelsior continuously strives for the highest possible level and does a lot to improve the singers both individually and collectively. And there is room for new, less practised voices too.
We have two choirs: the main choir of about 80 singers and the chamber choir of about 20 singers. We are an open, friendly choir who take a lot of pleasure in focusing on the sound we produce, and enjoying each other’s company too. Many members have busy jobs. For them singing is a moment of inspiration and a relaxing outlet.
Mirjam van den Hoekconductor
Mirjam van den Hoek (1994) has been the conductor and artistic director of Excelsior since June 2023. She lives in Rotterdam and has been intensively involved in music, singing and conducting since she was 17 years old. For her, conducting means making music together with the singers, and in search of the beauty of music.
She studied choral conducting and church music at the Codarts University of Applied Sciences with Wiecher Mandemaker. She also studied music history, music theory and conducting with Barend Schuurman.
She is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp. She hopes to obtain her Master’s degree in 2025. Mirjam is the conductor of various chamber choirs. On a substitute basis, she is the conductor of the Laurens Vocaal in Rotterdam.
Mirjam’s teaching methods involve practical demonstrations of the sound and expression she is seeking. This means that you will not need fluent Dutch to be able to take a full part in the rehearsals.
With Mirjam van den Hoek, KZV Excelsior has a young and promising artistic director at the helm.
Want to join us?
Excelsior is open for all members of the international community of The Hague and beyond. Good voices are more than welcome and are given the opportunity to develop. We want to make beautiful music at the highest possible level. Most importantly: we enjoy singing.
In a good and relaxed atmosphere we can achieve musical quality. The singers of Excelsior are a friendly and committed group who will be happy to welcome you. After the concentrated (but fun!) work in the rehearsal, you can stay to have a drink and mix more informally with others in the choir.
We rehearse every Wednesday evening in the Bosbeskapel at Bosbesstraat 5 in The Hague, close to tram line 2 and bus 21.
Would you like to attend a few rehearsals to see if the choir, the music and the atmosphere appeal to you? Get in touch! You are most welcome.
Repertoire
Since its foundation Excelsior has built up a rich repertoire. Of course, the St. Matthew Passion has a central place in this. But many more great classical choral works have taken their turn. And in recent decades, challenging modern compositions have been added.
You can listen to our repertoire – performed by renowned ensembles – on a specially compiled playlist on Spotify.
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