Ciconia – Van Taco tot Tango, the Soul of South America
Classical music at the Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague: on Saturday 10 October 2026, Ciconia The Hague String Orchestra performs Van Taco tot Tango, an evening of South American sounds ranging from dreamy melancholy to fiery tangos and danzones.
What happens when European Baroque music collides with African rhythms and Andean indigenous traditions? South America answered that question across centuries, and on 10 October that answer resounds in the Nieuwe Kerk. Ciconia The Hague String Orchestra bridges those worlds in a single evening: from the restrained beauty of Villa-Lobos to the infectious swing of Arturo Márquez' Danzón No. 2 and the dramatic power of Astor Piazzolla. Before the concert, there is a documentary about El Sistema, Venezuela's celebrated music education programme that gives children a future through orchestral playing.
Bram van Sambeek at the Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague
A highlight of the programme is master bassoonist Bram van Sambeek's rendition of Ennio Morricone's Gabriel's Oboe, from the film The Mission. The film depicts how Jesuit missionaries brought European music to South America, forever changing the continent. Van Sambeek's interpretation on bassoon gives the piece a warm, human quality that suits the intimate atmosphere of the Nieuwe Kerk perfectly.
Programme: Piazzolla, Ginastera and more
The programme brings together icons of Latin American classical music. Teresa Carreño opens the evening, followed by Morricone, Villa-Lobos' Ciranda das Sete Notas and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, Piazzolla's Tango Ballet, Ginastera's Concerto for Strings and Márquez' Danzón. Together these pieces sketch a musical map of a continent that, like no other, managed to merge two worlds into one. Ciconia is known for the dedication and warmth the ensemble brings to every performance.
