What is it?
With Buurt Opera Malpertuis (BOM), we’re creating a performance full of music and theatre, where personal stories take centre stage. Will you be the star of the newest opera production by, for, and with the people of Maastricht?
Participants in BOM get to explore opera and music theatre, expressing their creativity alongside director Tamara Jongerden, vocal coach & co-director Ginette Puylaert, musical director Tim Sabel, and children’s répétiteur Tim Stoter.
BOM Kids offers theatre workshops for children: they sing, make music, act, and craft costumes and sets. They’ll also get the chance to join the final performance – together with the adults from BOM and musicians from the conservatoire!
Who is it for?
Everyone is welcome at BOM: young or old, with or without stage experience!
When does it happen?
Workshops and rehearsals take place on Thursdays. Adults rehearse from 10:45 to 13:00, and children from 16:00 to 17:30. Performances will take place on 21, 22 and 25 January 2026.
Where is it?
At Opera Zuid’s Studio Malpertuis, Malpertuisplein 60 in Maastricht.
Are you interested and want more information?
Send an email to buurtopera@operazuid.nl and we will contact you. For information about Buurt Opera Malpertuis 2024, visit this page.
IN CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR TAMARA JONGERDEN
Quote community worker Manon Pachen:
‘Improvising is an important aspect. When local residents are given the freedom to do and say what they want, the most beautiful things happen.’
Tamara Jongerden: ‘Definitely! This project floats on input and improvisations from the participants. We have conversations about certain themes that we – Tim, Ginette and I – provide. We also do acting, singing and improvisation exercises, so that you speak in a different language about the same theme. I also have conversations with local residents, about their lives, about what concerns them, what is going on. In these personal interviews, I pay very close attention to what and how people talk. For instance, I note their phrasing, the rhythm and pace in which they talk. So the texts and movement phrases in the performance come directly from these interviews. The creative team translates the participants’ input, so to speak. We abstract and style into an art form that the residents perform. And improvisation is an important part of that.’
Tamara Jongerden: ‘Through this project, local residents come into much more contact with opera than they were used to. They also appreciate opera more. Because we get together at Opera Zuid, they see rehearsals and are invited to premieres. Moreover, we also work with opera repertoire in our rehearsal process. And of course, the participants themselves choose what they sing during the performance, as with The Impossible Dream, music by Weill and Offenbach.’
Quote participant Thea:
‘My participation in this project has shown me personally that whatever problems come your way, there is always a place to be proud of yourself and have fun.’
Tamara Jongerden: ‘Beautifully put. Of course, we are real people, with struggles, imperfections as well as strengths. In neighbourhood opera, the stage is the place to share something completely unique with an audience. That’s what I like most about BOM, that the participants really bring authenticity to musical theatre. As far as I am concerned, BOM is valuable for everyone involved. The local residents learn everything about text handling, acting, ensemble playing, use of voice, musicality, but also about work attitude on the floor. These tools give them a voice on stage, literally and figuratively.’
Tamara Jongerden: ‘I think the added value for (many) participants and visitors is also that they do not easily come into contact with the regular cultural offerings. That they now see: hey, I recognise that, or that’s theatre too. I like that. And finally, I too am touched. It is an enormous reciprocal process. I may be leading, but I learn from the participants as they learn from me’.
