During the nationwide festival Day of the Composer, an initiative of New Music NOW, composers active in the Netherlands are put in the spotlight. Gaudeamus presents a large-scale singing event on the steps at the Jaarbeurs side of Utrecht Central Station, led by Utrecht’s composer laureate Diederik van der Laag: over 300 singers, divided across around 10 ensembles, form a single city choir. Singers and audience mingle; the city becomes the stage!
The project is inspired by the Estonian singing tradition, particularly the Laulupidu (Song Festival) and initiatives such as Laula!: large-scale singing gatherings where thousands of people sing together, regardless of background or level. The steps on the Jaarbeurs side function as a contemporary “singing hill”: a natural grandstand in the middle of the city. The vertical arrangement enhances the sound and makes the scale visible. The ensembles (choirs, vocal groups, ad hoc formations) are spread across the steps and intermingle with individual singers.
For this location and occasion, Diederik van der Laag, composer of the Day of the Composer in Utrecht, is creating new modular work. The music is built in layers with different entry levels: from simple sing-along material to polyphonic and rhythmically refined modules for experienced choirs. In this way, professionals, amateurs, and individual voices do not sing the same parts, but they do sing together.
Diederik van der Laag (1991) is a composer of vocal music, singer, and guitarist. Born and raised in Utrecht, he grew up surrounded by his father’s records of Madonna and Paul Young and his mother’s boundless love for Bach and Vivaldi. After his first choral work was performed in 2015, Diederik established himself as a vocal composer. His mission: to innovate tonal choral music. In his search for music that touches both mind and heart, composing and improvising are equally relevant and effective for him.