Brussels' galleries prepare for new season
Plus: A short list of Fall highlights, for all your planning needs.
My sincere thanks to those of you who took time to complete the audience survey; your feedback has been much appreciated and already helpful.
It was great hearing which issues appealed to you most and what topics you’d like to see featured more (art, music and film were among the most popular).
The list of events in every issue seems to be popular as well, but you want to see some changes: more events, and shared ahead of time rather than a couple days before they take place.
So, it seems like a good idea to dedicate an issue to what I consider to be some of this Fall’s highlights.
What follows is a list of the most interesting events I am currently aware of, to give you a chance to plan ahead and perhaps get some tickets already. Each entry includes a link for more information and ticket purchases if you’re so inclined.
In addition, I will continue to feature a shorter list in every weekly issue.
Rendez-vous at the gallery
First off, the new art season usually begins with Brussels Gallery Weekend, which would take place the first weekend in September and feature free tours of the city’s most gallery-heavy neighborhoods, as well as a string of exhibit openings.
This year, BGW has been canceled and the concept is getting a revamp.
Rendez-Vous: Brussels Art Week is taking place September 12-15 (that’s Thursday to Sunday) and aims, according to the website, to “celebrate the richness and variety of the contemporary Brussels art scene.”
You can check out the programme on their website and pick a few galleries to visit next weekend. Festivities kick off with drinks at Café des Minimes on Thursday evening, 9pm.
New season, who this?
Second, let me share the events I’m personally excited about — and have already gotten myself tickets for.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while you might already know I’m a fan of the Bozar’s programming, as well as their special prices for people under 30 years of age.
And since I turned 29 this summer, I am committed to abusing this discount for the remainder of my time as a youth.
I’ll be there, as of now, for these 3 events:
‘Staging the Concert’ will be a series that combines music with set design. As I understand it, each one will feature a different kind of “interplay with space, light and materials.” The explanation on their website is a bit convoluted, if we’re being honest — but the concept seems intriguing enough to be given a shot. I’m attending the “Bartok in Space and Time” concert on September 20th.
Olivia Laing, an art writer for The Guardian and author of several essays that have made me cry, is coming to Brussels as part of her ongoing book tour, on October 21st. The way she writes about art, with honesty, depth and passion, made me want to follow in her footsteps. I’m so excited about this one.
The Oslo Philarmonic will be performing some Tchaikovsky on October 27th — but the evening will start with George Enescu’s 10-minute Romanian Rhapsody No.1, which is a lot of fun. It sounds precisely like a Romanian wedding. You can practically feel the circle dancing come to life. In lieu of whistling, which is a staple of Romanian celebrations, Enescu employed flutes. It’s a fun one.
While these are the nights I’m personally most excited about, the Bozar’s events span lots of genres — you can find the full schedule on their fairly confusing website.
But wait, there’s more.
A comedy legend has reawakened.
The Press Revue was a Brussels Bubble staple for years, before it came to a halt during the lockdown, never to be seen again. “It proved long ago that the EU could be funny,” says one of the show’s writers and performers Craig Winneker. “Now it’s back and there’s obviously still no shortage of material to work with.”
The show will run for one night only, on October 19th, at Albert Hall. Tickets via this form. It’ll double as a charity fundraiser, complete with an after-show party supposed to last well into the night.
The Schuman Show, which has become in the past three years the reigning queen of Bubble comedy, will also return sometime this Fall — dates to be announced soon.
I’ve been a die-hard Schuman devotee since their first official show in the basement of a Marolles bar back in 2021 — but there’s plenty of interest in English-language EU-centric comedy to go around in this town. Surely we can make room in our hearts for both of these.
And lastly, I’m heading to the opera.
Brussels’ La Monnaie will be staging a new work in October. “The Time of Our Singing” first premiered in 2021 to much acclaim. It’s the story of “a mixed family both united and divided by music in the turbulence of post-war America”… adapted by a Belgian. For some reason.
It will play a few times, between October 24 - November 2nd. I’m curious to see the result (and will be sure to let you know if I end up napping).
That’s all for now, thank you for reading.
More events will be included in next week’s issue.
And if you haven’t completed the survey yet but would still like to do so, you can find it here.
Enjoy your Sunday evenings and see you next week,
Ana