Metropole Orkest

Did You Know?

• Dolf van der Linden led the orchestra for 35 years, from 1945 until 1980.
• The orchestra's performance on 'All Night Long' by Jacob Collier won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

History

The Metropole Orkest came together in 1945, set up by Dolf van der Linden after officials from Netherlands Public Broadcasting pushed for its creation. That same broadcasting body still runs and funds the orchestra. Van der Linden came up with the group’s name and stayed on as its leader for 35 years, leaving the post in 1980. Rogier van Otterloo took over next, leading until his unexpected death in 1988. Dick Bakker then stepped in as conductor, holding the role until 2005, when Vince Mendoza arrived and brought a more global feel to the ensemble. Mendoza, a four-time Grammy winner, led the orchestra until August 2013, when Jules Buckley became chief conductor in his place. The Metropole Orkest is a regular presence at the North Sea Jazz festival and the yearly Holland Festival, and it also appears on many TV and radio shows. The Dutch film and TV world leans heavily on the orchestra for its film scores. Between 2005 and 2013, under Mendoza, the group performed often on concert stages, at festivals, and on recordings with both Dutch and international artists. In European radio, its closest equivalents are the BBC Concert Orchestra and the now-defunct BBC Radio Orchestra, which shared similar instrumentation and often worked with the same guest conductors and soloists using custom arrangements. The orchestra is known for playing world music and classic jazz, and it has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Adrian Belew, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Jarreau, New York Voices, Tori Amos, Bono, Brian Eno, Hardwell, Elvis Costello, Within Temptation, Snarky Puppy, Marcus Miller, Todd Rundgren, Jacob Collier, Markus Stockhausen, Louis Cole, Triptykon, Cory Wong, Cory Henry, Basement Jaxx, and Robbie Williams. The Dutch government once considered cutting the orchestra’s funding, but in December 2012, politicians managed to secure support through 2017. On 31 January 2017, an online vote began to pick a group for a joint project. Six months later, Epica won out of 650 suggestions, receiving the most of 60,000 votes. A studio session was set for 13 December 2017 in Hilversum, though the specific Epica song to be recorded was not announced beforehand.