Grand Café Meneer Frits in the Muziekgebouw has been closed since the beginning of the year. The space will be given a new, multifunctional destination. With this, the Muziekgebouw wants to better meet its social task.
“The restaurant actually went quite well,” says Muziekgebouw director Edo Righini. So that was not the reason to close it. We had a loyal group of visitors who always came here to eat.”
“It was nice and fun, but no more than that,” explains Righini. “Ultimately, it’s not our specialty. Moreover, there was only limited space. 1000 people come to watch a classical concert. But only 98 people could eat in the Grand Café.”
‘Social mission’
“We therefore spent some time thinking about how we could find a better use for this room. In this way we also want to fulfill the social assignment that we have even better, after all we receive a subsidy to provide a cultural offer in the city. We are now going to focus even more on that,” says Righini.
Conservatory students
The hall must therefore become a stepping stone for talented musicians. “For them, the step to our small room is actually very big, because they have not yet built up a following. We want to give a stage in this room to that group of talents who are well advanced, but who still have to take the last step, for example final year conservatory students. In that respect, we do not get into the waters of, for example, PopEi, which offers a stage to talents who are really just starting out.”
Accessible
In this way, the Muziekgebouw also wants to make classical music more accessible to Eindhoven residents. “It must be accessible, free entrance, or at most a tenner. In this way, people who normally do not listen to classical music can also have a taste of it, without it feeling out of the ordinary.”
“Think, for example, of young people, but also of children,” says Righini. “I myself have a 10-year-old child. I shouldn’t let him sit in a concert hall for an hour and a half. The new room would therefore be much better suited for him.”
The New Fritz
The new hall will have room for about 180 people. The first concert is scheduled for August 28. Before then, a few things still need to happen. “By then, the renovation of the new Frits will be finished.”
“One of the most important things to do is come up with a new name. New boarding will be hung on the outside of the building, and the name must be on there. So by the end of the week, we should have a hit on that. Whether one of the options is the ‘De Nieuwe Frits’ (the New Frits)? Perhaps, we’ll take that option into consideration”, Righini said with a wink.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
