Shakuar unites vocalists Shishani & Karima el Fillali who perform with a deep sense of intimacy, creating enchanting and transformative music.

Their work marks a musical friendship with Western classical music, 90s R&B and Hip-Hop. Growing up in European & African households, they also share a parallel quest for the musical roots of their African parents. For Karima this path led to an introspective journey to Morocco, and for Shishani to her country of birth, Namibia. The immersion into the musical landscapes of their African heritage while living in the Netherlands opened the door to a broad vision for music, its instruments, poetry and role in society. This gave birth to the Shakuar sound.

Shakuar reflects a dynamic cultural space drawing on numerous musical traditions. Whether from the Lowlands, Sahara or the Kalahari, there is one common thread: transcendence. Centuries old African and European mysticism come together in contemporary electronic styles.

As the singers alternate between different languages (Oshiwambo, Darija, Arabic, English, French and Spanish) and as their voices melt into and out of each other, Shakuar challenges the notion of separate identities and cultural divides. Instead it seeks to invite and create space to meet and communicate at the level of being.

Residentie Orkest The Hague proves that even in the 21st century, symphonic music can still be meaningful to large and diverse audiences. Its reputation as one of the finest orchestras in Europe makes it an appropriate figurehead for The Hague as a cosmopolitan city of justice, peace, and culture. The orchestra performs concert series in the Zuiderstrandtheater in Scheveningen and in addition performs at venues such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg Utrecht and De Doelen in Rotterdam. Special crossover and innovative productions are also provided at The Hague’s prominent pop venue Paard van Troje throughout the season. The Residentie Orkest performs regularly at various other major concert halls abroad. Tours have brought the orchestra to New York, Boston, Chicago, London and Vienna amongst others and the orchestra also performed in countries like Japan, China, Germany, France and South America. There are also many prolific collaborations with a wide range of partners, including the Dutch National Theatre, Gemeentemuseum and the Dutch National Opera. Recent seasons have seen a much acclaimed production of Messiaen’s rarely performed opera Saint François d’Asisse and Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites.

A rich history Since its first concert in 1904, the Residentie Orkest has developed into one of the prominent symphony orchestras of The Netherlands. Founded by Dr Henri Viotta, who was also its first principal conductor, it quickly attracted composers like Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Max Reger, Maurice Ravel, Paul Hindemith and Vincent d’Indy. Guest conductors included Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein and Hans Knappertsbusch.

After World War II, Willem van Otterloo was appointed chief conductor. He led the orchestra from 1949 to 1973 and built a strong reputation by combining high-quality performances with adventurous programming. Van Otterloo was succeeded by Jean Martinon, Ferdinand Leitner, Hans Vonk, Evgenii Svetlanov, Jaap van Zweden and Neeme Järvi.

Chief conductor Starting season 2018/2019 Nicholas Collon is chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Residentie Orkest. Richard Egarr will join the orchestra as principal guest conductor in 2019. Until the summer of 2019 Jan Willem de Vriend will act as principal conductor.