In this double bill, the tree takes centre stage: as a living being, as raw material, and as a vessel of sound. 

In WALD, the four young Belgian horn players of the Korpus Kwartet return to the origins of their instrument. Together with composer Siebe Thijs, they drew inspiration from The Hidden Life of Trees, a book by forester Peter Wohlleben. Far removed from traditional hunting music, the result is a new, sensory soundscape in which audiences can listen, look and feel how emotions and stories lie hidden between the trunks of the forest. 

With Memories of Trees, the Ragazze Quartet unfolds a musical visual narrative about the unique types of wood from which their string instruments are made. In collaboration with composer Kate Moore and audiovisual artist Jurjen Alkema, a layered performance emerges in which image and sound converge. In doing so, our deep connection to nature, craftsmanship and fragile ecosystems becomes tangible. 

Welcome to STROOM!

STROOM is celebrating its fifth edition this year—our first milestone anniversary!

We are marking the occasion not with fireworks and cream cake, but with the rich and inspiring programme you have come to expect from us, placing sustainability, nature, water, and the beautiful Scheldt Valley National Park at its heart. This year’s festival features several world premieres, classical and contemporary music, poetry and architecture, concerts, walks, and rituals.

This year, Jeroen Olyslaegers joins us as our Festival Thinker. His boundless creativity runs like a thread throughout the programme. We are also delighted to welcome the world of science to STROOM through a first collaboration with the University of Antwerp.

STROOM is firmly on course and has exciting plans for the future. We warmly thank all our partners who, together with us and the Scheldt Valley National Park, help make this festival such a celebration. We invite everyone to be part of it.

Why not make a weekend of it? Alongside the music, discover walking and cycling routes, boating opportunities, heritage sites, museums, and local culinary specialities.

The entire STROOM team is ready to welcome you.
Sophie Detremmerie and Jan Van den Bossche

Watch the trailer for WALD, by Korpus Kwartet, here

Watch the trailer for Memories of Trees, by Ragazze Quartet, here

Join the University of Antwerp for an introduction to dendrochronology

Curious about the hidden life of trees? Discover it together with the scientists from the University of Antwerp. At their stand, you’ll learn all about dendrochronology, the field of science that studies tree rings to uncover a tree’s life story. Using various samples, researchers will explain how trees grow, what they have experienced, and what we can learn from them. Join in at 20:30, as a tree sample is taken on site to better understand its living conditions. Don’t worry: no trees will be harmed! 

In collaboration with