Holland Baroque feels supported by the court’s ruling, which upheld Holland Baroque’s appeal against the decision of the Performing Arts Fund. This ruling confirms the importance of the orchestra and the significance of its artistic direction.
Business manager Clara van Meyel: “Together with soloists from many genres, Holland Baroque opens the doors to Baroque music. Research, encounters and creativity give Baroque music a place in the present. After the rejection in July 2024, we received many expressions of support from far and wide. Financially, we have been supported by the Municipality of Utrecht and a number of funds, as well as many new donors. As a result, the orchestra has not had to close its doors. It is of great value to us that the court now also explicitly recognises the special quality and significance of Holland Baroque.”
The court ruled that the Fund must take a new decision on the objection, taking this ruling into account. To this end, the Fund must request a new opinion from the advisory committee. The court has set a deadline of ten weeks for the Fund to do so. Whether the Performing Arts Fund will ultimately grant the requested subsidy, is part of a follow-up process.
From the ruling: “In this ruling, the court finds that Holland Baroque’s appeal is well-founded. The advice of the advisory committee on which the Fund based its rejection is not careful, transparent and/or comprehensible in all respects. This applies to aspects that were assessed under the criterion of significance for Dutch performing arts practice. In addition, the Fund did not sufficiently explain how the criterion of geographical distribution would be assessed.”
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