Melkweg celebrates 10 years of the ADE Opening Concert with the Metropole Orkest

This year marks the crystal anniversary of the collaboration between Metropole Orkest, ADE and Melkweg: the tenth edition of the now-renowned Opening Concert. While some are still basking in the warm amapiano sounds of DBN Gogo, others are already gearing up for this year’s artist: Kybba. The producer and DJ – known for his genre-spanning sound that blends Latin and dancehall influences – already played Melkweg’s MAX in 2025 for a double sold-out show. This year, he returns for the ten-year anniversary in collaboration with Metropole Orkest.

The ADE Opening Concert, in collaboration with Metropole Orkest, is an ode to electronic music, where conductor and DJ meet halfway. It’s a dialogue we’re seeing more and more — not least in pop culture. You may have caught recent clips from the BRIT Awards, where Rosalía’s Berghain-leaning performance flowed seamlessly from orchestra into rave; including a remix by classically trained Conrad Taylor. Or just last weekend, when Moby mesmerised the restless crowd at Coachella with his porcelain set, backed by classical musicians.

That same magic returns for the tenth time this year, traditionally taking place on the Wednesday of ADE in the vast RABO. To mark this modern classic, Melkweg looks back on a selection of Opening Concerts — before we go Ba Ba Bad with Kybba.

Classical training is more common than you might think. Colin Benders found long-standing success with his Kyteman Orchestra: a genre-blurring fusion of classical music, hip-hop, opera and jazz. In 2016, he shifted direction, continuing solo with his modular synthesiser setup. His livestreams with ‘the machine’ later became the inspiration for a live orchestral translation by Metropole Orkest, under the direction of Jules Buckley.

Diva of the Diode, classical composer and acclaimed sound designer. To call Suzanne Ciani merely a musician would be an understatement. Born in 1946, Ciani became a pioneer of electronic modular performance in the late 1960s, creating live music using the analogue Buchla synthesiser. For this performance, the Metropole Orkest, under the direction of Simon Dobson, was guided by the spatial movement of sound within a quadraphonic speaker setup.

With Khuza Gogo, DBN Gogo achieved global success, firmly putting both herself and amapiano on the map. In her live shows, the South African artist is known for an impressive blend of styles within the genre: from deep house to afro-tech. In 2025, this became the inspiration for a high-energy orchestral translation in collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, under the direction of Simon Dobson.

As Amsterdam Dance Event marks its 30th anniversary, we celebrate ten years of the Opening Concert with the instruments of the Metropole Orkest, in collaboration with Kybba. Tickets for the Opening Concert on Wednesday 21 October will be available from Monday 20 April via Melkweg's website.