Het Balletorkest

The mission of Het Balletorkest (The Ballet orchestra) is as simple as it is powerful: Het Balletorkest brings dance to life. Since its foundation in 1965, the orchestra has been the proud musical partner of the Dutch National Ballet and the Nederlands Dans Theater. In every performance, we seek to create an inspiring synergy between music and dance, to offer our audience an enchanting experience.

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The mission of Het Balletorkest (The Ballet orchestra) is as simple as it is powerful: Het Balletorkest brings dance to life. Since its foundation in 1965, the orchestra has been the proud musical partner of the Dutch National Ballet and the Nederlands Dans Theater. In every performance, we seek to create an inspiring synergy between music and dance, to offer our audience an enchanting experience.

Under the baton of principal conductor Koen Kessels, Het Balletorkest is the leading orchestra for dance in the Netherlands. With a core group of musicians, supplemented by guest musicians where necessary, we are flexible and dynamic, and we guarantee the highest artistic quality. Our repertoire ranges from classical ballet to innovative modern dance, complemented by music education and talent development.

We are also known for our award-winning family productions, in which our musicians play from memory, without a conductor and often in costume – as an integral part of the story on stage. Productions such as Creatures (with ISH, winner of the Young Audiences Music Award), Hansel and Gretel (with Orkater, winner of various Musical Awards), Beauty and the Beast and the timeless fairy tale Cinderella have touched audiences of all ages. In the 25/26 season, we continued this tradition with the thrilling production Thor.

We are also working towards the future off stage. Through our partnership with the National Ballet Academy, we support the next generation of dancers by providing music education, rehearsal visits and live accompaniment during their final performances. “The Ballet Orchestra moves the dance” is more than just a slogan – it is our very essence and our driving force to move, connect and inspire people through the power of music and dance.

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