Six hours of art and culture on NPO Radio 1

On Monday evening, December 21, NPO Radio 1 will be entirely dedicated to art and culture. In Zes uur cultuur (Six Hours of Culture), presenters Jellie Brouwer (NTR) and Pieter van der Wielen (VPRO) will speak for six hours starting at 7:00 PM with a diverse group of creators from the worlds of music, literature, theater, musicals, and cabaret. The entire evening can also be followed live on NPO 2 Extra.

It has not been an easy year. In a year full of setbacks like this, art and culture offer solace. That is why VPRO and NTR are holding a six-hour conversation with people who comfort, move, and inspire us with their work.

Guests include comedian Jandino Asporaat, musical actress Nyassa Alberta, poet Marjolijn van Heemstra, writer Oek de Jong, poet Tsjaed Bruinja, actress Manouschka Zegelaar Breeveld, film director Sam de Jong, and musician Broeder Dieleman. There will also be live music by Spinvis and S10.

Political response

Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven (OC&W) is a guest and will discuss the political response to the past year. Composer Stephen Emmer will also join the discussion. The NPO supports his initiative for extra airtime for culture. Presenter Atze de Vrieze (VPRO) seeks answers to thought-provoking questions such as 'will 2021 be the year of resurrection?', 'how is it possible that no major theater has gone bankrupt yet?', and 'how are countries around us dealing with culture during the pandemic?'.

There will also be stories that cannot be told from TivoliVredenburg: a visit to violinist André Rieu at his castle in Maastricht and a conversation with writer Heleen van Rooyen at home on the couch.

Send in your favorite song

Throughout this entire week and on the evening itself, listeners are encouraged to send in music that comforts and/or inspires them. Their favorite song of the past year. Ultimately, all these songs will be compiled into a single Spotify playlist. Which songs should be on the list? Listeners can let us know via zesuurcultuur@radio1.nl, the NPO Radio 1 app, or on Twitter via #zesuurcultuur.

[VPRO - Zes Uur Cultuur - December 18, 2020]