Programme team of Amare with from left to right (from bottom to top): Jamal Bhoedjang, Mariska Simon, Judy Albin, Geesje Prins, Saskia Lankhoorn, Gerko Telman and Chelsea Pachito. Photo: Carlijn Stortelder

Amare strengthens programme team with new colleagues

26 August 2024, news

Music programmers Chelsea Pachito and Saskia Lankhoorn, as well as creative producer Jamal Bhoedjang have joined Amare’s programme team. With their colleague programmers, they are determined to further consolidate Amare’s versatile position as an international house for both music and dance at the cultural heart of The Hague.

Chelsea Pachito is the new programmer for pop, global & jazz. Until last year she worked as a programmer/producer at Rotterdam’s De Doelen concert hall and as a programme maker at Theater Rotterdam and ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag). She has also worked as a tour manager for performers including Cory Henry. “Driven by a deep passion for and knowledge of music, I feel hugely motivated to help create an Amare where everyone feels at home,” says Chelsea Pachito.

Saskia Lankhoorn is the new programmer for classical music & opera. She is a co-founder of Ensemble Klang, an ensemble with roots in The Hague’s conservatoire that has become a successfully touring ensemble with a broad view of new music and an open-minded approach to the future. Lankhoorn has a rich international performance practice as a solo pianist with a solo album at ECM records. She also played with various ensembles such as the DoelenEnsemble and Asko|Schönberg. For two years she served as the artistic manager of Festival Dag in de Branding. “I look forward to preserving the treasures from the past and to developing exciting new concerts and narratives for today’s audiences. There’s a wonderful parallel to be drawn with Nieuwe Kerk as a historical monument and brand new Amare, standing opposite each other but going hand in hand.” - Saskia Lankhoorn

As a creative producer with wide-ranging experience in the cultural, societal and commercial sectors, Jamal Bhoedjang will strengthen Open Amare, the free programme organised in Amare’s public space that serves as a platform for The Hague’s creative energies. Jamal has worked with numerous partners to organise all sorts of activities for young people and young makers in the fields of art, fashion, music, graffiti and lifestyle. “I can’t wait to boost my home town’s cultural profile even further, and in that way to contribute to the quality of life and solidarity among the city’s inhabitants.” – Jamal Bhoedjang

Together with Geesje Prins (head of programming and programmer of a.o. dance), Mariska Simon (education), Judy Albin (programming assistant and a.o. responsible for amateur companies), Gerko Telman (creative director of Open Amare), Dorinda Hovenga (producer) and Melissa Tepper (specials producer), they will further guide and stimulate Amare’s artistic development.

“Amare regularly buzzes with energy, with programmes taking place in all the performance halls simultaneously and multiple events in the public spaces. That’s Amare at its best. We operate locally, nationally and internationally, we present both budding new talent and the international top flight, and we cohabit the building with amazing house mates: the Royal Conservatoire, Nederlands Dans Theater and Residentie Orkest. We are a prominent venue for major festivals such as Holland Dance Festival, Rewire, Festival De Betovering and the Big Bang Festival, and draw a growing and diverse audience. We are concentrating on an open and lively Amare as a cultural place of encounter, and are increasingly building our local impact with a never-ending flow of activities for and by the city’s communities. There is no other comparable venue in the Netherlands. I am so pleased and eager to catch the momentum with these new promising colleagues and to push Amare to even higher heights,” says the head of programming, Geesje Prins.