The Birth of the Hague Symphony Orchestra Valerius

In 2004, four amateur musicians hatched a plan: to create a new orchestra and a new community. That is how the Hague Symphony Orchestra Valerius was born.

With a plan and a mission, it was time to sound the trumpets and invite others to join the orchestra. Many people auditioned, and 25 were selected to embark on the new project.

But when the first rehearsal came around in March 2005, only five people showed up.

Nevertheless, they were determined to make it work. “We just played the tunes and sang a lot,” said Arne Visser, founding member and conductor of the orchestra. In the early days, they had fun experimenting with youth orchestra arrangements and music fit for their small group.

Arne addressing the crowd - Kaleidoscope concert, 2025

The first concert was performed by a group of just eight musicians, a mix of conservatory students, friends and family of the founders who stepped in to support the new project. The audience hailed the determination of the new orchestra!

The orchestra had high aspirations and through hundreds of hours of work and rehearsal, it grew at a fast pace. By September, Valerius had already started to consolidate itself, reaching 20 members. By December 2005, the young orchestra was performing at the Hague Conservatory. The concert featured works by Vaughan Williams or Henry Purcell’s Rondeau, a staple piece that has been repeated at several Valerius concerts ever since. Even though it was just their second concert, Valerius already managed to attract highly talented musicians within its ranks. It was “a nice group, some people who are in the Concertgebouw orchestra now!” Arne recalls.

The Story of the New Name

When it came to finding the perfect name for the orchestra, a heated debate followed. Various names were floated around, all famous Dutch composers, a nod to the national roots of the new international orchestra.

Faced with the numerous name options, it was troublesome to decide on the perfect name. But, in reality, “there was actually one only option to go for, it’s hilarious!” Arne said. Despite the many options, one name came to prominence: Adrianus Valerius, the renowned Dutch poet and composer. One “dominant” person in the orchestra strongly advocated for the name Valerius, so the decision was inevitable. Thus, the name stuck “even though there are better composers,” Arne said with a smile.

Growing in Numbers

To secure their existence in the long term, the founding members decided to officially register their orchestra as an association. “Arne told us: ‘Ok, right now we’re a few months into playing and rehearsing, isn’t it time to get professional, more organized?’” Ricardo Rolvink, one of the signatories of the official documents, said.

Thus, in December 2005, armed with all the legal paperwork, the musicians headed to the notary to solidify their organization. That day marked the official registration of The Hague’s Student Symphony Orchestra Valerius as an association.

Timeless Love Concert - December, 2024

During this time, the orchestra’s reputation grew from year to year. Through personal connections, website advertisements, collaborations with institutions like the Hague Conservatory, or the International Institute of Social Studies, the world came to know about Valerius. At its peak, the orchestra welcomed more than 50 members. “We were big, and we had a very high quality,” Arne said.

Valerius did not shy away from ambitious repertoire. From Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich, or Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler, over the years Valerius performed some of the most difficult repertoire. To celebrate the orchestra’s ten-year Jubilee, they organized a grand concert, taking a tour across the galaxy and performing all movements of Gustav Holst’s The Planets right in Valerius’ own home base: the aula of the Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Xieje?

“I think the most important things is personal connections, playing music together, and having a lot of fun,” Ricardo said. Twenty years later, despite the hurdles that had to be overcome, the hours of rehearsal, planning and organizing, it is not plainly about the music, but also about the shared experiences that happen around it. Valerius is a place for community, for building long lasting relationships and enjoying a well-deserved beer at Xieje after a successful rehearsal.

Members enjoying a well-deserved drink after rehearsal in Xieje