Festivals for Compassion
The Idea
With Festivals for Compassion festivals around Europe express their solidarity in these times of Corona by presenting a new solo composition by the Greek-Dutch composer Calliope Tsoupaki. Each festival selects their own artist and instrument. The piece is premiered on the Dutch NPO Radio 4 on 20 June, with the Flemish Klara taking over the next day. After this, like a relay race of compassion, the work will begin its journey through Europe travelling from festival to festival, and will be shared online.
Calliope Tsoupaki
As the official ‘Composer of the Netherlands’, Calliope Tsoupaki is the face of Dutch music today. She feels a responsibilty to bring the craft of composing to a wide audience, always with an eye to current events. Tsoupaki immigrated to the Netherlands in 1988 from Greece to study composition with Louis Andriessen in The Hague. She developed into one of the Netherlands’ most high-profile composers, with her own unmistakable style incorporating her Greek roots.
Calliope Tsoupaki's work "Thin Air" is specially composed for Festivals for Compassion. This wonderful initiative is premiered on Saturday 20/6 in four different performances with four different instruments!
- Recorder player Erik Bosgraaf on behalf of Bachfestival Dordrecht
The score is available to download for free, thanks to Donemus Publishing - Festivals for Compassion - Componist des Vaderlands
Flag of compassion
Festivals for Compassion took its inspiration from the Flag of Compassion, a conceptual piece by the Dutch artist Rini Hurkmans. The work consists of ‘the Flag’ and a manifesto, held at the Unda Foundation. The Flag is a means to express the universal human feeling of compassion, independent of political, religious, or cultural ends. It is a flag for everybody, and can be used by anyone. The Flag of Compassion (actual or virtual) can accompany Tsoupaki’s composition from festival to festival.
