Atlas Orchestra

A project by Oranjewoud Festival in collaboration with Holland Festival and NTR ZaterdagMatinee

The Atlas Orchestra is a new collective consisting of over forty musicians from various cultural backgrounds. It originates from the Atlas Ensemble, which was founded by Joël Bons in 2002. Related stringed, plucked, wind and percussion instruments from China, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkey, and Europe together form an exciting and inspiring sonic palette. Never before had these ‘descendants’ been united in one orchestra. Now they come together in all their musical diversity in a completely new composition: Atlas Orchestra.

For Nomaden, a predecessor to this work, Joël Bons was awarded the 2019 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, the ‘Nobel Prize for music’.

‘I imagine a large group of players from all corners of the world, each with different instruments, a wide range of colours and cultures that finds expression in various formations, forging unique relationships.’

– Joël Bons

The concert by the Atlas Orchestra in co-production with the Holland Festival, Atlas Ensemble, NTR ZaterdagMatinee, Stichting Atlas & Co, and percussion ensemble HIIIT. In recent years, the Oranjewoud Festival has presented various projects with Bons and his musicians—a series of experiments and discoveries that now culminate in this composition, premiering at the Holland Festival. As a prelude, a special Atlas Festival took place on June 14 and 15, 2025, during Oranjewoud Festival.

Photos world premiere

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