The 38th edition of Music Meeting Festival will take place during the Whitsun weekend on May 18, 19 and 20, 2024 in Nijmegen. Musical encounter and discovery take center stage during this three-day festival for adventurers of all ages. On the program this year: the Australian program line 'Endless Skies', artist in residence Maryana Golovchenko and many other artists from far and wide - and from nearby.
Endless Skies: Australian program lineup
Music Meeting turns the spotlight on Australia in 2024. A continent that does not immediately capture the musical imagination of many, but where there is a whole world to discover. 'Endless Skies' represents the openness, far horizons and unlimited creativity of the creators from this special country. Every festival day there is something to discover from Australia, including the apocalyptic folk of singer-songwriter Joshua Murphy and the enchanting piano sounds of Luke Howard, among others. Earlier the arrival of artist in residence, composer, clarinetist and performance artist Aviva Endean, and Aboriginal artist Ngulmiya - who can be heard in the Netherlands for the first time - was announced.
Artist in residence Maryana Golovchenko
Ukrainian singer Maryana Golovchenko is one of this year's artists in residence. She performs in multiple lineups, for example with Trio SonCe - where her beautiful, pure voice is framed by cello, various Turkish wind instruments and modular synthesizer. She also plays live with the Kravchenko Clees duo, which won the Polish Jazz Juniors prize with their unique combination of vocals and vibraphone.
Dutch debuts and special projects
For over 35 years, Music Meeting Festival has offered a stage to artists who have not yet been seen in the Netherlands, if at all. This year there are again many artists who can be heard in our country for the first time, including Baiuca, the electronica surprise from Spain, SARĀB with a dazzling mix of electro, rock and Arabic music, and Alice in WonderBand full of traditional Balkan rhythms with body percussion. Also, The Rainbow Serpent, a composition written by Saskia Venegas, will have its world premiere at the festival.
Guest Curators
Artistic director of Music Meeting, Martyna van Nieuwland, collaborates with a number of guest curators in order to have the broadest possible sights on music developments. In 2024, they are Jermaine Kanbier, drummer and junior programmer at BIMHUIS, and Tim Sprangers, programmer and founder of Space Is the Place. At Music Meeting, Kanbier books Ghanaian Amsterdammer Bnnyhunna, who showcases jazz, afro and soul with an innovative sound, and the band Zeitgeist ft. Wayne Snow, an encounter between heavy grooving future jazz and Nigerian neo-soul. Sprangers presents Superinca & the Galactic Green, or rough rocking Cumbia with a hefty dose of psychedelia, and SOFAYA: a swinging encounter between South African jazz and Amsterdam improv.
About Music Meeting
Music Meeting Festival cuts across styles, genres and cultures. The adventurous music festival has been offering a stage to the best artists worldwide for over 35 years: musicians who have rarely or never been seen in the Netherlands, with new projects or in special lineups. During the Whitsun weekend, Nijmegen is traditionally dedicated to three days of musical encounters and discovery through a program in which cultural stories resonate.
