European Centre for Art, Culture and Science

Saturday December 8 2007

Lustrum Felix Meritis 1777-2007

To celebrate the 230th anniversary of the Felix Meritis society and the 220th anniversary of the building, all kinds of activities will be organised during the coming year, not only in Felix Meritis but also in the Amsterdam Historical Museum and the Theatre Museum. The anniversary year will be officially opened on 8 December 2007 during a festive evening including the presentation of the publication Spiegel van Amsterdam - Geschiedenis van Felix Meritis and the unveiling of a new work of art by Joseph Semah.

Opening
The first copy of Spiegel van Amsterdam - Geschiedenis van Felix Meritis [Mirror of Amsterdam - History of Felix Meritis] will be presented to the Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, on 8 December. The book has been written by Loes Gompes and Merel Ligtelijn and is published by Rozenberg Publishers. Nelleke Noordervliet and Paul Scheffer will each give their personal view of Felix Meritis. Bryndis Brynjólfsdóttir (dancer with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam) will dance the dazzling solo Ragna by Pieter de Ruiter and Eva Villanueva, accompanied by music composed by Harry de Wit. Esther Apituley will give a concert of work from Bach, Vieuxtemps and Hindemith. The master of ceremonies for the evening is Frank de Grave (chairman of the Felix Meritis Supervisory Board).
The new work of art Autobiographical Memory (08/12/07) by the artist/philosopher Joseph Semah (made possible by a grant from the Amsterdam Art Fund) will be unveiled to the public: a ‘woven neon work of art' with the big names from the distinguished history of Felix Meritis will be situated in the lift shaft of Felix Meritis.

Public activities
A new presentation with themes from eighteenth-century history will open in Room 12 of the Amsterdam Historical Museum on 6 December. The section on Art and Culture pays particular attention to Felix Meritis. From 8 December 2007 to 30 March 2008 the foyers of the Theatre Museum will present posters from the illustrious period when Felix Meritis was known as Shaffy Theater (1971-1988). In collaboration with the Amsterdam Chamber Music Foundation, a special Christmas concert will be given by EnsembleCaméléon on 15 December. And in 2008 guided tours of the Felix Meritis Observatory will be open to the public every Friday afternoon.

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