The Ricciotti Ensemble
The Ricciotti ensemble consists of forty members. The majority of the members study at a Dutch or foreign conservatory; a few members are advanced-level amateurs. Ricciotti performs at least 100 times per year. On average, the members meet about forty times per year, including rehearsals. On tour dates, Ricciotti performs as many times per day as possible; three times is the minimum, and twelve times in a single day is the record. The Ricciotti goes on tour three times per year. Since most of the participants are students, the tours generally fall during school holiday periods. On average, around eight days per year are spent touring outside of the Netherlands.
For each tour, the Ricciotti prepares around 25 to 35 pieces of music, each between two and eight minutes in length. The great majority of the pieces are classical compositions, varying from early renaissance to 21st century. In addition, the Ricciotti also performs pieces in every style imaginable, including jazz, pop and world music. The repertoire is literally without boundaries, from speed metal to glitch, and from klezmer to big band. During the summer tour, a part of which takes place outside the Netherlands, a diverse collection of music can be heard that comes from the country Ricciotti is visiting.
The Ricciotti also plays a preferred role in the Dutch music community: the art directors send assignments to composers and arrangers every year. Through this, each year the Ricciotti's programme includes an average of six world premiers and 20 new arrangements. One or two soloists join every tour. The soloists play an important role on the tours - not only by organising and performing the repertoire, but also by representing the orchestra.
The Ricciotti can set up within three minutes (the record of 2'12" was confirmed at the Ledig Erf in Utrecht on 3 May 2007) and the orchestra does not require a stage, chairs or a dressing room. That's why the orchestra is ready to perform anywhere. And they do it, too: from the deepest stalactite cave to the highest mountaintop, from a Boeing 747 to a cattle barn.
At its inception in 1970, the Ricciotti established the goal of bringing orchestral music to places where it doesn't usually exist. Bringing art to the streets! Over the years, that goal has changed very little. The Ricciotti's concept is brought to life in an all-round way: that's why most of the tours begin with a rehearsal period, when the orchestra plays in schools and social services locations. Through the music, the orchestra can quickly make a connection with the audiences. During the tour, the Ricciotti gives many concerts in institutions (such as psychiatric or ‘regular' hospitals, nursing homes and care facilities, penitentiaries, prisons and refugee camps). We seek our audiences out, also during public performances. In principle, we never ask for an admission fee, so as to truly make the concerts accessible for everyone. In the summers, we play a lot of outdoor concerts in city centres, open markets and festivals. The ratio of social and public performance is about 50/50. The Ricciotti comes closer to the average Dutch community in a way unique to any other group. Thanks to a relaxed, laid-back energy and the exceptional high quality of the musical performances, every audience we play for feels immediately comfortable and interested.
Every two years, the Ricciotti arranges a tour with a particularly educational theme. The performances take place in elementary, primary and high schools. In the evenings, the orchestra reaches audiences of the same age groups by visiting after-school programmes or community centres. The primary goal of the these educational tours is to pass the spark on to the next generation; to show that symphonic music absolutely does not need to be stiff or elitist, as many people think.
The Ricciotti enjoys a unique position in both the Dutch and international music circles. No other orchestra in the world is capable of reaching and inspiring such a diverse group of audiences. The orchestra's unique approach helps Ricciotti reach people of every ethnicity, education level and age. Ricciotti plays everywhere, for everyone!