The Big Sing

What The Big Sing does

The Big Sing is a Dutch choral and performing arts organization headquartered in Haarlem, Netherlands, that operates under the brand name "Koorbiënnale." It produces a biennial international choral festival alongside a year-round programming slate that includes intimate courtyard concerts (Hofjesconcerten), an intensive Summer School, and an annual youth sub-brand, The Big Sing Jongeren. The organization's core customer segments are general choral-music attendees and Haarlem-based teenagers; the youth arm is explicitly positioned to give teenagers a creative platform in music, text, dance, and performance under professional guidance, structured as a creative trajectory from classroom or studio to final stage production.

There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning the business — the "product" is the live event and the developmental curriculum itself. The youth program follows a recurring annual cadence of themed productions (The Protest 2023, Utopia 2024, BABEL 2025, Lost & Found? 2026), the most recent of which involves 25 Haarlem teenagers performing at the PHIL venue on 25 June 2026. Delivery depends on a small in-house team of 11–50 employees plus a network of three core partners (HIT, Hart Haarlem, PHIL); digital channels — website, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube — serve primarily marketing and audience-development functions rather than product delivery.

The business model combines ticket revenue (sold through partner-venue websites rather than a proprietary booking system), donations solicited via a "Doneren" page, and likely Dutch public-sector cultural subsidies, although no financial figures, funding sources, or pricing are publicly disclosed. Legal entity classification (for-profit vs. foundation) is not explicitly stated, but the donation solicitation and public-benefit mission are consistent with nonprofit/foundation-style operations. No revenue, headcount trend, M&A, or external funding data are available in the source material, leaving financial scale and ownership structure as material data gaps.

Name

The Big Sing

Legal name

The Big Sing

Website

https://koorbiennale.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Big Sing is a Haarlem-based Dutch choral organization that produces biennial choral festivals, courtyard concerts, a Summer School, and an annual youth program. It serves choral enthusiasts and Haarlem teenagers through live performances developed with partners HIT, Hart Haarlem, and PHIL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Choral Music Festivals

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Choral festivals
• Youth music programs
• Choral workshops
• Community singing
• Performing arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Haarlem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Big Sing hosts a biennial international choral festival (the Koorbiënnale) in Haarlem, Netherlands, featuring concerts, collaborative singing events, and Hofjesconcerten courtyard concerts. Beyond the festival, it runs The Big Sing Summer School choral workshop program and The Big Sing Jongeren, a youth development program that engages Haarlem teenagers as creators of music, text, dance, and performance under professional guidance.

Product overview

The Big Sing is a biennial choral music festival in Haarlem, Netherlands. The organization offers a unified program of choral/music events and youth development initiatives. The core offerings include the main festival program (Koormaniek), Hofjesconcerten (courtyard concerts), Summer School, and The Big Sing Jongeren youth program — all centered around communal singing and performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Big Sing Jongeren: Youth program enabling Haarlem teenagers to create and perform music, text, dance, and performance under professional guidance.

Products and services

• The Big Sing Festival (Koormaniek / Koorbiënnale) The main biennial choral festival featuring concerts, performances, and collaborative singing events held in Haarlem, typically in late June to early July.
• Hofjesconcerten (Courtyard Concerts) Intimate outdoor courtyard concert series featuring choral performances in historic Haarlem hofjes (almshouse courtyards), held during the festival period.
• The Big Sing Summer School Intensive summer program offering choral singing workshops and instruction for participants during the festival season.
• The Big Sing Jongeren (Youth Program) Youth program providing a platform for Haarlem teenagers to create and perform music, text, dance, and performance under professional guidance, with annual themed productions (e.g., The Protest 2023, Utopia 2024, BABEL 2025, Lost & Found? 2026).

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 youth participants created and performed in the 2026 production 'Lost & Found?' at the PHIL venue

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HITcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026HIT is a partner in The Big Sing Jongeren program, collaborating on the creative trajectory for youth. Jongeren (youth) undergo a creative process from classroom or studio to stage with HIT's involvement, culminating in performances.
• Hart HaarlemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Hart Haarlem partners with The Big Sing in the Jongeren program, contributing to the creative development of youth participants. The partnership supports the artistic trajectory leading to final performances.
• PHILcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026PHIL serves as the venue partner and collaborator for The Big Sing Jongeren productions. The 2026 'Lost & Found?' performance takes place at PHIL on June 25, 2026, at 19:30. PHIL also handles ticket sales through its website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Concertgebouw Amsterdam: Concertgebouw Amsterdam is a leading Dutch classical concert hall presenting orchestral, choral, and chamber music programming year-round. It is a broad incumbent peer to The Big Sing because both operate in Dutch classical/choral music presentation, though Concertgebouw is a permanent venue with year-round ticketed programming rather than a periodic festival organizer.
• Tonhalle Düsseldorf: Tonhalle Düsseldorf is a major German classical concert hall presenting symphonic, choral, and chamber music programs. It serves as a broad-incumbent peer to The Big Sing within the European classical/choral presenting space, with similar audience demographics but as a permanent venue rather than a biennial festival organizer.
• Holland Festival: Holland Festival is the Netherlands' largest and longest-running performing arts festival, presenting opera, theater, music, and dance in Amsterdam. It is a broad incumbent peer to The Big Sing because it operates in the same Dutch cultural-festival space with multi-genre performing-arts programming, though at substantially larger scale and with broader artistic scope.
• BBC Proms: The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral and choral concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It is a broad-incumbent peer to The Big Sing because both deliver mass-audience classical/choral programming with educational and participatory elements, though the BBC Proms operates annually at much larger scale and with broadcast reach.

Regional players

• Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht: Festival Oude Muziek is a major Dutch early-music festival held annually in Utrecht. It is comparable to The Big Sing as a regional Dutch music festival delivering multi-day performances and educational programming, though its focus on historical/early music differs from The Big Sing's contemporary choral focus.

Direct peers

• Cork International Choral Festival: The Cork International Choral Festival is one of Europe's premier annual choral festivals, hosting international choirs for competitions, concerts, and workshops. It is directly comparable to The Big Sing as both are international choral festivals with ensemble participation, competitive/performative programming, and an educational workshop track.
• INTERKULTUR (World Choir Games): INTERKULTUR organizes the World Choir Games and a portfolio of international choral events, competitions, and cultural exchange programs. It is a direct peer to The Big Sing as both operate in the international choral festival space and serve ensembles and choirs globally with competitive and performance-based programming.
• Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod: The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a long-running international choral and music festival in Wales that brings together choirs and ensembles from around the world. It is a direct peer to The Big Sing because both are international choral festivals delivering multi-day performance programs with ensemble participation as a central feature.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqLmuURc9QiQsyRadvwc-zg
• Facebookfacebook.com/koorbiennale
• Instagraminstagram.com/koorbiennale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koorbiennale-haarlem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Big Sing