Anima Eterna Brugge

Anima Eterna Brugge is an international project orchestra that is affiliated as house artist to the Concertgebouw (Brugge). It was founded in 1987 by conductor and pianist Jos Van Immerseel.

Anima Eterna performs repertoire written between 1750 and 1945 and the size of the orchestra varies, depending on the repertoire, from seven to eighty musicians. Historical performance practice is the connecting thread throughout the history of Anima Eterna. Each new project takes place in an atmosphere of research, discovery and artistic experiment. In this way, the musicians delve into the different editions of the work, the musical instruments, the playing style, the instrumentation and other elements that can influence the sound and character of the performance.

Since 2021, Anima Eterna has been collaborating with four different conductors who each develop an artistic trajectory. Giovanni Antonini seeks a historical bel canto, Pablo Heras-Casado engages with Anton Bruckner, Bart Van Reyn takes the orchestra back to the source of the symphony and Midori Seiler redefines the sound world of Romanticism. Together with the musicians, they say they want to stimulate the imagination of the audience and enrich our collective memory.