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On Nelson Mandela Day: A Choir Brings Gronau and Enschede Together
A cross-border choir is being formed for “67 Minutes, A Journey of Hope.” Singers from Gronau and the surrounding area are invited to join the project.
GRONAU – A special choral project is bringing people from Germany and the Netherlands together across the border. A cross-border choir is currently being formed for the concert project “67 Minutes, A Journey of Hope” under the artistic direction of Dutch conductor and musician Monique Kokkeler.
The grand concert will take place on Sunday, July 18, 2027—Nelson Mandela International Day—at the Muziekcentrum Enschede. Together with the Orchestra Twente symphony orchestra and singers from Germany and the Netherlands, a musical program centered on hope, freedom, connection, forgiveness, and the future will be presented.
The number 67 was chosen deliberately. Nelson Mandela dedicated 67 years of his life to the cause of freedom, equality, and human dignity. “67 Minutes, A Journey of Hope” takes up this idea and translates it into music: singing together, listening together, and sending a message of hope, freedom, and solidarity.
Singers from Gronau and the surrounding area are also invited
The project has already gotten off to a successful start in the Netherlands: 75 singers have now signed up for Choir Twente. Now, a group is also being formed on the German side within Choir Twente. Singers from Gronau and the surrounding area are invited to become part of this cross-border project.
We are looking for singers from Gronau, Epe, Ahaus, Alstätte, Heek, Nienborg, Ochtrup, and the surrounding area who enjoy singing together and would like to be part of this cross-border project.
Above all, what matters is a love of singing, a willingness to attend rehearsals regularly, and a desire to work together toward a major concert.
The German rehearsals will take place in Gronau on Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., starting October 9, 2026.
Music That Transcends Boundaries
The program includes, among other things, South African freedom songs and well-known songs such as “Shosholoza,” “Asimbonanga,” “Free Nelson Mandela,” “Africa,” “Dream On,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “You’re the Voice,” and “Something Inside So Strong.”
Behind the project is Monique Kokkeler, conductor and artistic director of Orchestra Twente and Choir Twente. She has been active in the Dutch-German border region for many years. In Gronau, she previously served as conductor of the Horizont women’s choir; and some of the choir’s singers also participated in Orchestra Twente’s “Merry Christmas” concert project in 2019. Today, Kokkeler teaches voice at the Gronau Music School and has been teaching at the Ochtrup Music School for 25 years.
With “67 Minutes, A Journey of Hope,” she hopes to continue this long-standing connection to the region and bring together singers from Germany and the Netherlands in a joint choral project.
“Music can bring people together without everyone having to speak the same language,” says Kokkeler. “That’s exactly the idea at the heart of ‘67 Minutes, A Journey of Hope.’ We want to make music together, forge new connections, and show what can happen when people join their voices.”
The route leads to Enschede
The highlight of the project will be the joint concert on July 18, 2027, at the Muziekcentrum Enschede. On that day, singers from Germany and the Netherlands will take the stage alongside the Orchestra Twente.
For the German singers, this also represents a special musical experience: They will be part of a cross-border choral project and will share the stage at the Muziekcentrum Enschede with Dutch singers.
Interested singers from Germany can now learn more about the project and sign up for Choir Twente.
For more information and to register:
