Amsterdam Sinfonietta & John Holiday

Countertenor John Holiday is renowned for his distinctive voice and impressive life story. He is considered one of the most prominent countertenors of his generation.

Holiday performs regularly in leading opera houses and concert halls worldwide. He has performed at venues including the Metropolitan Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Dutch National Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. His repertoire includes roles in operas by composers such as George Frideric Handel and Philip Glass, as well as contemporary works such as The Hours.

In addition to opera, Holiday is a sought-after concert and recital singer and has performed in halls such as Carnegie Hall and the Barbican Centre. He is also known for his versatility beyond the classical repertoire, with performances that bring together jazz, gospel, and pop.

Website: John Holiday

Amsterdam Sinfonietta consists of 23 top-level musicians who play together as one. Led by artistic director Candida Thompson, the orchestra tours the world with adventurous programmes.

With tremendous drive, Amsterdam Sinfonietta has developed into the leading string orchestra of the Netherlands and a world-class orchestra. It champions its own genre and innovates it at the highest level. The orchestra embraces the complete repertoire for string orchestra, from classics to new commissioned works and arrangements, and also forges connections with other musical genres and art forms such as film, dance and theatre.

Founded in March 1988 with Lev Markiz as artistic director, Amsterdam Sinfonietta has, since 2003 under the direction of Candida Thompson, grown into a regular performer in European concert halls. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has toured Europe, Asia, America and Australia, and has performed in concert halls such as Barbican Hall in London, Cité de la Musique in Paris, National Centre of Performing Arts in Beijing, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and in the Wiener Konzerthaus and at the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

In addition to performing, the orchestra regularly records albums and music films. Since 2004, the orchestra has released seventeen albums on its own label Channel Classics, including The Mahler Album, The Argentinian Album and Pärt über Bach. The most recent album, Spiegel im Spiegel, is a collaboration with the Nederlands Kamerkoor and was released in January 2026. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has also released albums on the labels ECM, Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammophon. Music videos have been released such as Misirlou (trad.), Atashgah (Jacobsen), Tabula rasa (Pärt) and the music film One Zero Six Zero (Bach), directed by Maarten Corbijn and the most recent video release, Imitazione delle campane (von Westhoff).

Through the Sinfonietta Academy, young talented musicians have the opportunity to gain experience with the orchestra's unique way of playing together. Additionally, with the KleuterSinfonietta, the orchestra's productions and children's workshops bring classical music and string instruments to thousands of children each year.

Website: Amsterdam Sinfonietta