Concert Lecture Oude Zee en Nieuw Land (Event in Dutch
National History Month
- Concert
From the bottom of the old sea rose Flevoland: new land full of dreams, loss, and pioneering spirit. In this concert lecture, Eva Vriend, Klaartje van Veldhoven, and Renée Bekkers bring the Zuiderzee history to life with story, song, and accordion.
This is a free performance, organized by Province Flevoland.
The inhabitants of Flevoland come from all over. What binds them is a shared future. Rooted in a pioneering past, they continue to build together on a province that is still developing.
From the bottom of the former Zuiderzee, a new land rose in the twentieth century: Flevoland, the largest artificial polder in the world. In the concert lecture Old Sea, New Land, this special history comes to life in a unique crossover of literature, history, and music.
Writer and historian Eva Vriend, known for her acclaimed books and her television series with Huub Stapel about the closure of the Zuiderzee and Schokland, takes the audience along the genesis of Flevoland. With literary recitations, historical stories, and personal anecdotes, she narrates the engineers who designed the new land, the pioneers who braved the hardships of the bare plain, and the fishing communities that had to learn to live without the sea.
Her stories are interspersed and deepened by soprano Klaartje van Veldhoven and accordionist Renée Bekkers (among others known from Toeac). With a carefully curated repertoire of classical and folk songs, they give voice to the emotions, dreams, and memories hidden behind the history. The singing elevates the words, the lyrics enhance the music, and together they create a layered performance where past and present meet.
Old Sea, New Land is an inspiring concert lecture in which the history of Flevoland is not only told but also experienced. A remarkable artistic encounter between historical narration, literary recital, and live music.