Portuguese Synagogue: Candlelight Concerts in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bask in the romantic atmosphere of a 1-hour candlelight concert at Amsterdam's Portuguese Synagogue, located in the heart of the city's Jewish Quarter. Once a month, hundreds of burning candles form the backdrop for the concert that showcases everything from Balkan folk to classical concertos. Coupled with the synagogue’s renowned acoustics, it’s sure to be an incredible evening. 

Arrive at central Amsterdam's Portuguese Synagogue up to 30 minutes before the performance and proceed directly to your seat. Take advantage of your early arrival by enjoying the romantic atmosphere of this magnificent 17th-century Sephardic synagogue and its hundreds of burning candles. Once the musicians take the stage, relax and enjoy an enthralling hour-long concert of timeless compositions, brought to the life by the virtuoso players and the  synagogue’s magnificent acoustics.

Please note: performances vary depending on the evening. The full concert listings are as follows:

Thursday 6 April
8.00 PM
Ensemble Oerknal! plays Morton Feldman
Our candlelit synagogue creates the perfect atmosphere for the silent and meditative music of Morton Feldman (1926-1987), the famous New York minimalist composer. Dutch ensemble Oerknal! will play Feldman’s The Viola in My Life from 1970 and two contemporary compositions by Reiko Füting and Lewis Nielson.

Thursday 22 June
8.00 PM
Klezmer with Di Gojim
This is one of the longest standing and influential klezmer groups of the Netherlands, led by clarinetist Jaap Mulder. Funny and aptly enough, these musicians pay tribute to the quintessential Jewish musical genre by acknowledging, in their Yiddish band name, that they’re not Jewish.

Thursday 6 July
8.00 PM
Bartók, Ligeti and Others: The Hungarian Avant-Garde
Coinciding with the exhibition at the Jewish Historical Museum, pianist Valentina Tóth and saxophonist Peter Vigh – Dutch musicians with Hungarian roots – will perform music from Hungarian composers Béla Bartók, György Ligeti, and others.

Thursday 17 August
20.00 PM
Grachtenfestival
The annual Grachtenfestival is the biggest classical music festival of the Netherlands, presenting many concerts throughout the city, for 10 days. The candlelight concert at the Portuguese Synagogue forms one of the highlights of the Grachtenfestival program.

Wednesday 13 September
8.00 PM
The Santo Servicio Choir’s Rosh Hashanah Concert
The home choir of the Portuguese Synagogue sings a concert to celebrate Jewish New Year, which starts a couple days later. Shanah tova, happy 5778!

Thursday 26 October
7.30 PM
Oene van Geel & Mark Haanstra
Two celebrated Dutch jazz musicians perform a duo concert.

Thursday 30 November
7.30 PM
T.B.A.

Thursday 14 December
7.30 PM
Amsterdam Light Festival
T.B.A.