Storm in a Jar is an a cappella ensemble that takes audiences beyond the boundaries of time and space. Four dedicated vocalists – Sterre Konijn, Fanny Alofs, Michaela Riener and Rianne Wilbers – weave together early and contemporary music to create a captivating musical experience. On Sunday afternoon, 4 October, they present their brand-new programme, Eclipse, at Pakhûs SOLO in the Vitus Church in Finkum.
The four singers joined forces at the end of 2024 after many years of collaborating with ensembles including Silbersee, HIIIT, De Ereprijs, Het Muziek, VONK and Lonelinoise. They have built an impressive reputation in contemporary music. Skilled in extended vocal techniques, they arrange their own repertoire, play a variety of instruments, perform works composed especially for them, and freely embrace improvisation.
In Eclipse, the ensemble's artistic voice comes to life through the combination of four vocalists, singing bowls, ceramics and electronics. The programme explores the magical moment of coming together: two bodies merging, contrasting voices blending into one another, and contemporary music, jazz, minimalism and folk meeting in harmony.
Composer Nicoline Soeter wrote Ring of Dust especially for the ensemble. The work is a musical reflection on humanity's ancient relationship with the Moon and the questions it raises about exploitation and preservation. Inspired by the Declaration of the Rights of the Moon, Soeter created a cycle of eight songs, each inspired by one of the Moon's phases. Drawing on influences from Renaissance music and traditional Irish sean-nós singing, the vocal lines are interwoven with the sounds of ceramics, stone mortars and crystal singing bowls. The result is a journey through gravity, darkness and light.
In Belonging, composer Anthony Fiumara asks: "What belongs to me? What are the things we share?" He takes the audience on a journey through the complex themes of ownership, power and identity. Belonging is a vocal cycle that unfolds like a contemporary oratorio. Its texts draw on sources as diverse as Leviticus, Karl Marx and Hadewijch, creating an eclectic mosaic that connects centuries and cultures. The programme also includes works by composers such as Louis Andriessen and Yannis Kyriakides.
The concert lasts just over one hour and is performed without an interval. A complimentary drink will be served afterwards.
Programme curator Beate Loonstra says:
"The overarching theme of our ensemble series this season is 'The Magic of the Organism'. If there's one ensemble that truly embodies that magic, it's Storm in a Jar. We've known singer Rianne Wilbers for almost as long as Pakhûs SOLO has existed. Add three equally adventurous and expressive colleagues, and you have Storm in a Jar: four musicians with a wealth of shared experience, remarkable creativity, fearless artistic curiosity and four voices that blend beautifully together. Storm in a Jar is certain to surprise and move us."
