Who Are We?
Oerknal! is a new music collective founded in 2013. We aim to rebuild the relationship between performer and audience while challenging listeners to approach the concert experience in a new and more holistic way. We promote new music in the truest sense of the term, emphasising a highly talented and multifaceted group of young, living composers.
What Are We Asking For?
We are asking for your support to help us realise our first full season, consisting of projects in April and June. Our first project, "Realm of the Radicals", presents some of the most radical music of the past 50 years, highlighting John Zorn's Chimeras, a manic tour-de-force for soprano and ensemble. Oerknal! has commissioned video artist Chris Paul Daniels to create a video instillation that he will VJ live, acting as a staging to Chimeras.
Our second project, "Lunatics", explores the relationship between music and words. We will perform works by our fantastic composer-in-residence Nathan Heidelberger, including a brand-spanking-new commission written especially for Oerknal! We will also commission a set of poetry from the young Dutch poet Amber-Helena Reisig to be read as a counterpoint to Nathan's music. These projects will be presented in both The Hague and Amsterdam.
We are extremely excited to perform this music and collaborate with Chris, Nathan, and Amber! We are confident that these collaborations will result in musical experiences of the highest caliber. It means everything to us that we are able to share our art and our passion with the public and we hope you will be a part of it!
Where Exactly Does The Money Go???
The funding we are requesting will be split evenly between commission costs and the general costs of producing our first season.
Commission Costs: In these two projects Oerknal! is commissioning one piece of video art, one new music composition, and one collection of poetry. We believe it is essential for a contemporary music ensemble to support the growth and creation of new art and to find exciting forums to present this art to the public. As we all know, making new art costs money - think about work time, technical costs, etc. Your donations will allow us to give the artists we commission the proper amount of financial support so they can create works of the highest possible quality.
General Costs: Every music ensemble needs a little extra help in their first season, whether it be money to tune a piano, transport percussion, print flyers, or design a website. Your donations will go a long way in helping us cover these costs while also building a financial basis from which we can plan future projects.
What Do You Get Out Of It?
By donating to this crowd funding campaign you are actively and vitally supporting new art, new music, and new creative collaborations. In this way, you are directly contributing to the cultural scene in The Netherlands and giving us the ability to share our music-making with you, whether via live concerts, audio recordings, or music videos.
We have come up with a bevy of perks to say THANK YOU for supporting us! These include free concert tickets, digital downloads of concert recordings, fun Oerknal! merchandise, and - for those of you who are willing to donate larger sums - gift packages offering personalised art and private house concerts.
We are absolutely committed to presenting these projects and playing this fantastic music for as broad an audience as possible, whether or not we receive the total funding requested. However, the more you give, the more we are able to give back!
Other Ways You Can Help
We deeply value any level of involvement you choose to engage in! For us, a €2 donation is just as important as a €1000 donation - every little bit counts!
We understand that not everyone is in a position to comfortably donate money. However, there are other ways you can get involved:
Share this Campaign On Social Media: Getting the word out goes a long way. If you aren't able to help financially, share this campaign on facebook, twitter, e-mail, and any other social media you're wired to! The direct link to our campaign is igg.me/at/oerknal
Become More Active With Oerknal!: Keeping track of our activities is an important way for us to build a relationship with you. Check out our website, like our facebook page, and send us a message with any suggestions or creative ideas you might have!
We would like to express our deepest and most heartfelt thanks for any and all support you choose to offer!