ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle

Do you want to renew musical tradition with your own talent and personality? And show what music can mean in people’s lives? At the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle you learn to use music to move people and bring them together. You develop your craft and your musical identity, and you create moments of wonder, stillness, connection and joy, in class, on stage and beyond.

Behind the tall cloister doors in Zwolle’s historic centre, a world of music opens up. You step straight into the canteen: one student is shaping a new composition while another, leaning on a cello case, chats with a lecturer. The high domes and inner courtyard give you the space and calm for conversations, ideas and plans.

Music is everywhere, from a solo violin line to a full band rehearsal. We cherish tradition while giving it new meaning in the here and now.

When you study at the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle, there is plenty of room for self-development and an individual study path. You work on technique and musicianship, and on who you are as a maker, performer or teacher. Want to combine Classical Music with Jazz & Pop? You can. You receive personal coaching and real-world assignments from the professional field. Step by step, you find your direction: on stage, in education and in projects with audiences.

All music programmes in Zwolle

Our community is diverse: different cultures, disciplines, music styles and generations meet here. Playing together is part of the daily rhythm: in classes, auditions and projects, and in ensembles such as the ArtEZ Big Band, the ArtEZ String Ensemble, ArtEZ on Stage and the ArtEZ Pop Orchestra. You learn to listen, lead, follow and trust one another. You feel that when you perform.

“I have grown enormously as a person, artist and performer. I owe that in part to all my fellow students at the conservatory.”

Firiël, Classical Music

Zwolle works together, and you notice that inside and outside the academy. You collaborate with other arts programmes, venues, schools and social partners such as the Salvation Army and Stichting Focus (Focus Foundation). You might write music with neighbourhood residents based on interviews and organise an open mic; play in mixed ensembles (Jazz & Pop, Classical Music, Music in Education); form the ArtEZ Pop Orchestra; or create musical routes through the city during project weeks. You don’t just become a better player and collaborator. You also see immediately what your music can set in motion: from a full house to a resident who feels heard.

The ArtEZ Academy of Music in Zwolle is located at a historic site in the heart of the city.

Director: Sigrid van Willigen (ad interim)
Address: Aan de Stadsmuur 88, 8011 VD Zwolle
Tel: +31 (0)38 42 70 530
Email: cons.zwolle@artez.nl