Once again this year, HF Young offered special get-togethers relating to the festival programme and discounts on a selection of performances. This selection was made by the HF Young Favourites - ten culture loving volunteers between 24 and 40 years old. The eight pieces they initially selected were: Mother Nature from Angélique Kidjo with Yemi Alade, Zeynab Abib, Blue Lab Beats, Ghetto Boy, Jeangu Macrooy, When Paths Meet from Sami Yusuf, Cappella Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, L’Olivier by Abd Al Malik and Wallen, Contre-enquêtes from Nicolas Stemann, The Murder of Halit Yozgat from Ben Frost, MOBY DICK; or, The Whale from Wu Tsang, Porca Miseria from Trajal Harrell and The Nation from Eric de Vroedt. The two club nights at Lofi were added as well later on. HF Young members could go here for € 10.
Like each year in the run-up to the festival, HF Young organised the HF Young Kick-Off, in which the Holland Festival team, together with members from the HF Young Circle, spoke about the HF Young Favourites in Hotel Casa Amsterdam. The HF Young Kick-Off also provided the opportunity to immerse yourself in the Holland Festival programme in a different way through specially furnished hotel rooms. During the festival, HF Young organised a number of special events that younger visitors could join. After the performance of L’Olivier, for example, there was an HF Young after party in the Muziekgebouw where people of all ages hit the dance floor. HF Young, together with the Holland Festival’s Young Benefactors, also visited Galerie Ron Mandos for a special guided tour of Dance in Close-Up: Hans van Manen as seen by Erwin Olaf. Lastly, HF Young organised a picnic at Opera in the park: Der Freischütz.
Heroes, books and first impressions
In HF Young HEROES, Omar de Jong, a member of HF Young Circle, talked with Fjodor Jozefzoon, one of the actors from The Nation by Eric de Vroedt and Het Nationale Theater. He spoke about what it was like being a new member of the theatre company, about working with Eric de Vroedt and about what it was like to play in a marathon performance like The Nation.
In the HF Young BOOK CLUB, HF Young members discussed books relating to the programme, including: Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, Albert Camus’ The Stranger and Kamel Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation. Unlike in previous years, this year’s HF Young Book Club was live for the first time. The book discussion took place in an intimate setting at De Nieuwe Liefde and Splendor Amsterdam.
In 2020, HF Young started HF Young TALKS, a series of short talks on Instagram Live in which members of HF Young Circle had conversations, as it was not possible to have a drink after the performances. Thankfully, this year it was again possible to have a live chat in the foyers afterwards, so HF Young went through the theatre halls asking HF Young visitors how they liked the various performances in HF Young First Impressions. This resulted in a series of short videos in which younger visitors shared their enthusiasm for the HF Young Favourites.
All HF Young activities can be followed on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
HF Young 2022
HF Young is the platform for everyone under forty with broad cultural interests that they would like to share with others. Many interesting and inspiring activities are organised especially for them each year to make the Holland Festival more accessible. This exposes younger, often new audiences to the festival’s themes and makers in a way that appeals to them.