HARDKOOR

A stand-up tragedy concert — a stream of self-consciousness set to techno, trip-hop, and choral music

A single mother and artist withdraws from public life for a year in the lead-up to her fortieth birthday. From the stillness of burnout, she battles the pressure of time, the weight of expectations she's trying to escape, and her own relentless self-awareness and self-criticism.

Through a personal struggle expressed in language, music, and movement, she carves out a path toward a shameless existence—where the never-ending need for validation gives way to radical self-love and a not-so-boring sense of balance.

Under the motto “never waste a good crisis,” she confronts—live, in the presence of the audience—the personal and societal blind spots that brought her to this point.

concept, direction, text & performance Naomi Velissariou musical composition Joost Maaskant & Frank Wienk (Binkbeats) muzikale regie Frank Wienk (Binkbeats) drums, percussion & live electronics Jens Bouttery vocals het Nederlands Kamerkoor (Bethany Shepherd, Olga Grammatikopoulou, Julie Hasfjord, Åsa Olsson, Emma Nelson, Viktoria Nikolova, Ambro Golachowski, Emilio Aguilar, André Cruz, Jobbe Hoebink, Gilad Nezer, Sebastiaan Ammerlaan, Ruben Grevelink) repetitor Béni Csillag artistic representation NKK Imre Ploeg scenography & light design Boris Acket costume design MAISON the FAUX sound engineering system design Sander van der Werff movement coach & choreography choir Nicole Beutler outside eye Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe indispensable support Casper Vandeputte direction assistance Lindsy Dias co-production Theater Utrecht & het Nederlands Kamerkoor in collaboration with Holland Festival, NKK NXT-alumni en Nicole Beutler Projects