Discover Benelux | Bustling Utrecht | Best Art, Culture & Events
Photo: Wolter Lommerde
Connecting international music events to local needs TEXT: PAOLA WESTBEEK | PHOTOS: MAARTEN STARRENBURG
With over 26 years of experience organising projects and events, ZIMIHC was born out of the need for places where amateur artists and musicians can perform and rehearse. Today the organisation, founded in Utrecht, boasts three theatres and a broad professional network giving amateur artists the opportunity and room necessary for their talents to evolve and flourish. In the next few years, ZIMIHC will present several international music events in the city. Being a musician himself, ZIMIHC founder Appie Alferink sensed the demand for 22 | Issue 25 | January 2016
artistic podiums in Utrecht and thus started the organisation. To this day, ZIMIHC’s core activities remain the same: to cater to the needs of amateur artists with theatres and repetition facilities as well as with the organisation of projects and events both on a local and international level. A broad range of artistic fields are covered including everything from music to the visual arts and from dance to literature. ZIMIHC’s three theatres, all situated in buildings that are cultural breeding grounds, offer a wide variety of facilities that suit a broad scope of artistic ambitions. “We want artists to take initiative
and come to us to see which podium fits them best,” says coordinator Martine Spanjers. “By offering them a podium early on, they have a bigger chance to further develop their talents,” she continues.
International events ahead The organisation’s projects and events are quite diverse: whether that be facilitating small performances in city parks such as A Lazy Sunday Afternoon (consisting of free mini-festivals during the summer months), or operating on a more international scale, as ZIMIHC already did in 2009 with the Europa Cantat Festival. Ultimately, in the upcoming years, more of