In the summer of 2024 from 10-14 of July, the Five-Day Festival of the Zomer Academy will take place in Zutphen again, under the new name of INTERNATIONAL BAROQUE FESTIVAL ZUTPHEN (IBFZ).

This year’s theme is ‘BAROQUE OPULENCE from NORTHERN GERMANY’, focusing on the very special developments that took place there in the 16th and 17th centuries.

German early Baroque music at the beginning of the 17th century is characterized by a mainly austere style, reflecting the devastating impact of the Thirty Years War and bubonic plague on the North European populations. The effects of an unadorned Lutheran tradition remain palpable at this time also; this is in marked contrast to the post-war second half of the century, which became an exceptionally rich creative period with open artistic borders, very receptive to other influences, notably French and Italian.

In addition, the festival will also pay attention to the influence the Hanseatic League and its medieval trade routes had on the development of the performing arts in Europe and Northern Germany in particular. Music was one of the means for the Hanseatic cities to demonstrate prosperity to trading partners and competing cities. As wealth increased, both the possibility of appointing musicians and the need for representative music grew. The easily accessible trade routes gave musicians considerable opportunities to travel for further study and/or professional purposes. The trade network also made possible the wide distribution of sheet music. It can be seen, then, the Hanseatic League thus played a key role in the international spread of music and musical styles.

During the IBFZ Five Days, around 20 baroque specialists will share their expertise and broad experience in historically-informed performance practice in the many educational projects with the participants. In addition, they will take part in many concerts at various locations in Zutphen, and will perform music by, among others, Buxtehude, Tunder, Schutz and, as always, Bach – lots of Bach!