Nederlands Blazers Ensemble

The Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (NBE) is a group of around twenty leading musicians. They meet on average fifty times a year, to perform both at home and abroad. Shared musical passions and a yearning for adventure are the driving forces behind the NBE’s highly theatrical programmes, which defy categorisation. The NBE plays music of all ages, genres and styles, as long as it stimulates the senses and piques the imagination.

Seasons of the NBE’s music are featured at both Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the new Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. In addition, the annual NBE New Years Concerts never fail to get people talking, and are broadcast on Dutch television. Twice each season, the NBE goes abroad, appearing at what has become a long list of leading international concert venues.

The NBE is particularly eager to work with children and young people. Each year, the NBE encourages secondary school pupils to develop workshops and programmes inspired by themes of NBE concerts. In the run up to the New Year’s Concert, the NBE holds an annual composers' contest and performs works by very young composers. In addition, there is Young NBE, which brings together young musicians with a promising future ahead of them.

The NBE has recorded for Philips and for the British label Chandos. In November 1999, it started its own label, NBELIVE, ‘for those who were there and those who wished they’d been’. Each year, NBELIVE issues two or three recordings of major new NBE projects. These have not gone unnoticed: the 2005 recording of Mozart’s Gran Partita was awarded the prestigious Edison Audience Award.

2011-2012 Please do not use older versions of this biography. For any modifications, please contact  a r t e s y s t e m.