In Westerpark during the annual Grachtenfestival Shane van Neerden will perform the premiere of Tranendeken by composer Celia Swart: a new composition for solo piano, voice, e-bows, fishing lines, foil, and Blu Tack, written especially for this park.

During the piece, the piano is physically altered and then “stripped” of its preparations, allowing the music to shift perceptibly from stillness to movement. Swart based the concept on the transition from a busy urban space to the calm of a park: “In the middle of the concentric pond circles of the former gas holder lies a bath of tears waiting. A place of comfort and solace, where everything is allowed to flow and exist.”

Celia Swart has previously composed works for ensembles including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Resonances XXI, and Bang on a Can. Pianist Shane van Neerden won the 2024 Dutch Classical Talent Award and recently made his debut in the Concertgebouw series Jonge Nederlanders. He has performed at venues including TivoliVredenburg and on international stages across Europe and the United States. This year, he will also perform at the Prinsengracht Concert.