Stage Europe Network

Stage Europe Network is a collaboration which was established by various cultural organizations active in six European countries. The aim of the project is to enhance the experience of young musicians and to promote the young bands and acts in Europe. From August 27 to September 5 the participating bands can be enjoyed at various locations in the Netherlands. In addition to Westerpop  the Stage Europe Network tour will go to Rotterdam (Exit), Delft (Koornbeurs) and Bergschenhoek (Rottepop). www.stagenetwork.eu

The bands stay in Hostel ROOM (Van Vollenhovenstraat 62,Rotterdam) and you can attend acoustic sessions here every night. (www.roomrotterdam.nl)

More information about Stage Europe Network can be found on  www.stagenetwork.eu

Extra stage = more music at Westerpop 2010

Although weather forcast for next Saturday is not as promising as last year, the line up at Westerpop certainly is. So again there’s no excuse, why you shouldn’t go to Delft next Saturday. Once you’re on the festival ground, it’s music, music, music!

For the first time, there’s an extra stage. It is a small stage and the performances take place during the intervals of the main stage. So, no more waiting, because as soon as the last notes have faded away on one stage, a new concert starts on the other stage. The second stage is a project of the Zuidhollandse Popunie and is called Stage Europe Network. (more info on www.stagenetwork.eu or on http://thehotstepper.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/stage-europe-network/)

As always, admission is free. Hope to see you there!

www.westerpop.nl

Fairy lights at HEERLIJK Rotterdam

Yesterday I went to check out HEERLIJK Rotterdam. The festival grounds at the Parkkade were lit magical. This certainly created a good atmosphere. Besides good food, there was fortunately also focus on good drinks. The restaurants served excellent wines. At Zwetheul I drank a lovely wood matured Chardonnay with my sole with eel. The flavors danced a tango in my mouth, when they came together.
I like tastings in the open air and on a soft summer evening, like yesterday’s nothing really can go wrong. Yet I found it unfortunate that the focus of the participating restaurants seemed to lie more on selling than on presenting themselves. (Zwetheul was a was a pleasant exception)

I spoke with one of the visitors and in that conversation, we wondered why admission is charged? It does seem easy to raise the prices for festival coins (1 € 1,25) with eg 25 cents. That would easily remove the virtual threshold and give visitors the chance to drop by next evening and try that one delicious dish, they did not have the chance to the other night. For that delicious dishes can be enjoyed at HEERLIJK Rotterdam, that’s for sure!

Heerlijk Rotterdam

It’s impossible to imagine that Heerlijk Rotterdam would lack in the range of the Rotterdam events. This year the summer edition will be held for the fourth time at the prestigious Parklaan. From August 19 through August 22, 2010 fans of delicious food and snacks can once again visit this culinary top event. Participating restaurants are carefully selected to ensure a high quality.

The list of participants shows clearly that Heerlijk Rotterdam was successful in its selection: De Zwetheul, Het Kasteel van Rhoon, Rosso, Little V, Boudoir, Devine, Mastika, Harbour Club and Puur Rotterdam are all restaurants with an excellent reputation. This festival offers them a stage to reach out to the public and to visitors it offers an opportunity to get acquainted with their high standards in a relaxed atmosphere.

Besides the exquisite cuisine of the chefs, Dutch Barista Champion Yakup Aydin will prepare the finest coffee, the latest trends in desserts will be shown to the visitors and at the stand of the oldest deli in Rotterdam, Vermeyden, one can enjoy the most delicious cheeses and hams.

Heerlijk Rotterdam allows visitors in a unique and affordable way to enjoy top gourmet of Rotterdam and the Rotterdam area. Pamper your taste buds with high signature dishes prepared by the best chefs.In addition top brands and exclusive products that the chefs use to prepare their dishes with are presented at the event. Heerlijk Rotterdam is a culinary spectacle that will really excite all senses.

This year there is room for something new in the program:  ”dining in the dark.”  In the ‘experience’ restaurant, visitors are taken on a captivating journey of taste, sound and touch. To enjoy, without seeing:  the ‘experience’ restaurant is pitch dark, but guests of Heerlijk Rotterdam  need not have fear of the darkness. The waiters are very experienced. This “Black Brigade” is composed of people who are visually impaired and therefor accustomed to proceed cautiously. Dining in the dark is a unique experience where taste, feel and sound come together.

HEERLIJK TICKETS
Ticket sales for this culinary event is launched. In the presale  the damage is limited to  € 10, – Tickets at the door cost € 12.50.

Lede 40 – Vreewijk

As of June 23, 2010 Lede 40 is a museum house. The last occupant was born on the premises and has never modernized it. At Lede 40, the history of the district Vreewijk is tangible. Owner Com • Wonen has asked the Historical Museum of Rotterdam to manage this unique home. With this house, the museum does not only want to present a tranquil era, but in cooperation with local residents it is searching for the story of all times about Vreewijk.

Vreewijk, also called Tuindorp, is a part of the district Feijenoord in the South of Rotterdam. In 1913 the first NV Rotterdam Tuindorp was founded by K.P. van der Mandele, J. Mees and L.J.C.J. van Ravesteyn. The purpose of this NV (Eng = PLC) was “to establish and operate one or more garden villages, particularly for less wealthy people.” The plan of the neighborhood is based on the original pattern of ditches in the former polder. Vreewijk is designed as a village and is characterized by much ‘green’.(trees and gardens)

The street pattern was developed by Berlage (western part) and Granpré Moliere (eastern). The houses were designed by Granpré Molière,  and J.H. de Roos and W.F. Overeijnder, who both  also designed the Sparta soccer stadium Het Kasteel.

In March 2007 Vreewijk was put on a list of 40 problem areas by Minister Ella Vogelaar. Com • Wonen, one of the biggest housing corporations in the district, has plans to demolish 85 houses in the area Bree / Maarland and replace them with homes for the elderly. Existing houses are outdated and would suffer from moist, mold and cracks in the walls. Therefor renovation would be too expensive and according to the housing corporation is no option. An action committee was established and protest against the demolition has been raised. Com • Wonen was accused of wrongly having moved people in order to have the houses empty. Anyway, the housing company partnered with the Historical Museum of Rotterdam that carries out projects in neighborhoods with residents, focusing on the living cultural heritage of the city. Com · Wonen supports this initiative because it respects the cultural heritage of Vreewijk.

“Today most of us are yet provided with shelter: but ‘living’ is a privilege of only a few of us.”

Could Granpré Moliere have foreseen how relevant this statement of his  would turn out to be in the future related to the district he helped build? In order to make up your mind on these issues, it can certainly do no harm to visit the museum house and talk with local residents. But also if you just want a glimpse into the past Lede 40 is worth a visit.

Opening hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30 to 12.30 Wednesday from 9.30 to 16.30 

Pleinbios special: live music during screening of Metropolis

ROTTERDAM – On Thursday, August 19 there will be a unique collaboration between Pleinbioscoop Rotterdam and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival. Four musicians will be performing live at the famous silent film Metropolis by Fritz Lang as the film is shown outdoors on a large square. This sci-fi film dates from 1927.

The screening of the movie is extra special anyhow, because it’s only just been restored and re-released this year. Pleinbioscoop will be held from 18 to 29 August at the Lloyd Multi Plein. The initiative is part of the small summer events in the city. There’s no admission.

More information about Rotterdam Pleinbioscoop can be found at: www.pleinbioscooprotterdam.nl

Rondje Noordereiland 2010 (North Island tour)

Rotterdam – Sunday, 25 July 2010 from  6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

After the successful editions of 2009 and 2008, this year another Rondje Noordereiland is organised. On the last Sunday of July there will be athletes swimming in the heart of Rotterdam for the third time in history.  The Rondje Noordereiland  is an open water swimming competition of 3 km around the Noordereiland in one of the largest artificial ports in the world.
At 18:30 the first participants will start from a pontoon at the foot of  the , Erasmus Bridge. Then they swim the first 1,500 m upstream through the Koningshaven towards the Antwerpse Hoofd. At the end of the Noordereiland, the swimmers take a left turn to find themselves in the Nieuwe Maas to defy the waves and swim the final 1500 meters downstream to the Erasmus Bridge. (finish)

The Rondje Noordereiland, given the international fame of Rotterdam as a sports city, could become one of the largest open water swimming events in Europe. The conditions are excellent, the scenery surrounding the Hef, the Erasmus Bridge , the Willemsbridge and  the Koninginnebridge, the skyline on Maasboulevard and the old city of island itself is beautiful. And more important the river is cleaner than ever and the 3 km is a popular distance for many (professional) swimmers and triathletes!

In addition, open water swimming is becoming more popular than ever because of the gold medal by Maarten van der Weiden at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the increasing cleaner water  and low cost. The great popularity of open water swimming makes it the fastest growing sport in the Netherlands.

Clean water:
An important goal of Rondje Noordereiland is to draw attention to (the importance of) clean water. The Nieuwe Maas,  Rotte, Schie and IJssel are cleaner than ever. The Rotterdam port is thus the cleanest ports in the world and from that  residents, tourists, fish, birds and plants benefit every day. Crayfish and eels are back again in the river, the seal is regularly spotted on the Maasvlakte and an increasing number of salmon swim back upstream towards France and Belgium to reproduce themselves successfully.

Although I can’t be there myself, for I will be abroad, I wish Erik van Loon and all the volunteers, the swimmers and spectators the best. I’m sure that Rondje Noordereiland will be as successful as ever!

tinyMusic@backyard

On Saturday, July 17 tinyMusic organizes a summer Saturday night with Belgian duo Boston Tea Party, singer-guitarist Gerhardt Heusinkveld and singer/songwriter Mark Ritsema.

tinyMusic is a new initiative that brings musicians and audience closer together. tinyMusic emphasizes on the overall experience of a concert. As an artist, you want the audience to listen to the songs. As a concert goer you want to hear new music, while having a pleasant evening. A chat with the artists and fellow concert goers afterwards, is in large concerts often unthinkable. tinyMusic creates an intimate and unique setting where you’re able to listen to live music in a relaxed and casual way. This tiny music concerts take place at special locations, such as in a living room, an attic, in the hold of a ship or even out in the street, makes the concept even more special.

Boston Tea Party combines the rebellious music of the Collins Kids, a rockabilly band from the 50s with the zany pop songs of an eccentric company as Danielson Famile. On their debut Trouble Little Kids there are great and catchy songs which have  been established with bare minimum resources. You can hardly imagine that the eleven songs were recorded in the studio of dEUS, with Tim Vanhamel (Millionaire / Eagles of Death Metal) as a producer.

Gerhardt Heusinkveld provides an intimate solo performance. The singer-guitarist is known for Skinnerbox and Beans and Fatback.

After the very successful tinyMusic concert in the belly of the coaster De Zwerver, Mark Ritsema closes the evening with an exclusive soloset. In the 80s Ritsema was the frontman of the legendary cult band Spasmodique. He also was succesful in the 90s with Cobraz. Nowadays he’s in Raskolnikov, but he also performs solo as Nightporter, like on this tinyMusic concert

The garden will be open for the public at 7.30 pm. The first concert will start at 8 pm, the last concert will last until about 10pm.

For more information, go to: www.tinymusic.nl

Rotterdam in the palm of your hand

Rotterdam has introduced a city guide app. The Rotterdam app gives visitors and inhabitants constant access to convenient city info via their mobile phones. It provides access to a city guide with information on attractions, museums, hotels, restaurants and shops and it also includes a city map and a dynamic events calendar. To download the app, users need to open m.rotterdam.info/download with their mobile phone.

Once the app is installed you can explore Rotterdam on-the-go  on your mobile phone.  This mobile city guide highlights the very best that Rotterdam has to offer. Using the application will not require an internet connection or additional roaming costs. The content is stored in the application including the offline maps and the entire events calendar is downloaded at the first time use. You only need an Internet connection to  update the events calendar or if you want to interact with the Web.

The application offers information and images for over 500 locations in the city. You can call the location directly from the app. View the calendar for each location to see what’s on or save the location as a favorite for later reference.

The Rotterdam app is available for almost any mobile phone, including Java, Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones. The app is available in the Apple Appstore, via i-Tunes or in the Android Market. Features may differ per mobile platform.

Rotterdam has got a brand new toy: UAR!

The Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) has launched Urban Augmented Reality (UAR) : the world’s first mobile architecture application featuring augmented reality with 3D models. Starting today, you can see and experience the built environment of the past, present and future, via Layar Browser. The NAI has set itself an incredible challenge: to make the Netherlands the first country in the world to have its entire architecture viewable on smartphones thanks to augmented reality. From 30 June 2010, UAR can be downloaded from Android Market and the Apple App Store.

Augmented Reality
The principle of augmented reality is very simple: just point your smartphone at a building and get to see not only photos and video material but 3D models, scale models and interesting details and information about it. As of in the end of June 2010, you’ll be able to receive on your smartphone all kinds of information about the building currently on the site – along with details about what was there before, and what projects are planned there for the future. You can also add your own information about the building or plot out architecture walks taking in designs that particularly appeal to you.

Market Hall
The world’s first building to appear in three dimensions on the smartphone via augmented reality is the eye-catching Market Hall which is currently under construction in Rotterdam ’s Blaak area. The Market Hall was designed by architects MVRDV and is being built by Provast.

Where
UAR will be available in Layar starting in December. At 30 June 2010, the application can be downloaded from Android Market and the Apple App Store. In this version, the entire city of Rotterdam will be viewable via augmented reality followed in October by Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Within the next 5 years, UAR is expected to have evolved into a complete national architecture guide.

Check the app out on YouTube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bJ4PCW2Pcc&feature=player_embedded#!

If you’re interested, you can download it from App Store or Android Market.