Misha Kosmos Festival

Welcome to the wacky and wonderful musical world of composer, pianist and philosopher Misha Mengelberg (1935-2017).

Misha himself may have passed away but his music is alive as ever and continues to inspire musicians all over the world. The mighty ICP featuring Han Bennink will be performing at the Bimhuis on June 5th, 2025, which would have been Misha’s 90th birthday.  But we are celebrating all over Amsterdam.  Misha’s music is not limited to the happy few – we are the happy many! So you can enjoy his endearing tunes at these venues as well :

• Tuesday, May 27th Bimhuis / Rough Diamond Series : https://www.bimhuis.nl
• Tuesday, May 27th Splendor / Ernesto and Donna Molinari : https://www.splendoramsterdam.com
• Wednesday, May 28th Studio K / Felix Schlarmann, Natalio Sued, Ernst Glerum, Ella Zirina : https://studio-k.nu
• Thursday, May 29th Takland / the Ambush Party & Misha Session : https://radar.squat.net/nl/node/438058
• Friday, May 30th Splendor / Improfest : https://www.splendoramsterdam.com
• Sunday, June 1st de Engelbewaarder / Jazz op zondag with Michael Moore : https://cafedeengelbewaarder.nl/home
• Monday, June 2nd Café aan de Amstel, Amstel 54 Ben van Gelder, David Puime, Ton Felices & Misha Session
• Tuesday, June 3rd Zaal 100 / Jazz café with Kaja Draksler, Ab Baars, Michael Moore, Onno Govaert : https://zaal100.nl
• Wednesday, June 4th De Kring / Oscar Jan Hoogland’s LOOT & Misha Session : https://kring.nl
• Thursday, June 5th Bimhuis / Instant Composers Pool, Misha’s 90th birthday : https://www.bimhuis.nl
• Friday, June 6th De Roode Bioscoop / The Ambush Party : https://www.roodebioscoop.nl

Of course one can play Misha’s music, there’s a great big book of tunes available, the inimitable Mishakosmos, collated by Michael Moore, cover designed by Han Bennink and produced by ICP, available via Donemus (for download) or the physical book via the ICP website (shop) www.icporchestra.com

“What made Mengelberg Mengelberg wasn’t playing with respect for the text or with swinging bass and drums. What made him a force of nature was his fearless and faultless sense of the absurd.”  – Ethan Iverson, 2017