How to conduct life

In a world filled with numerous possibilities but growing complexity and chaos, how do you maintain authenticity? Is it by embracing the chaos, viewing it as a journey towards renewed order and balance? Or do you find comfort in holding onto the familiar? To deal with these questions we draw inspiration from the work of a musical outsider who reshaped the musical landscape by infusing old melodies with fresh perspectives: Charles Ives. One century ago, Ives crafted his Fourth Symphony, delving into the acceptance of resistance, chaos, and whatever challenges may arise. The symphony explores the quest for light in times of darkness and the capacity to wander mentally. 

How to Conduct Life is a festival in the spirit of the American modernist composer Charles Ives, with thought-provoking talks, interactive workshops and mesmerizing live music. Allow yourself to be tempted to look, feel, think and act outside the box. The line-up will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Click here for the full line-up and tickets!

Talk | Loes Damhof | Unleash the future!
How do we envision the future? And how do we wish it to unfold? Humans tend to rely on a dominant future image, which limits possibilities. UNESCO Chair Futures Literacy Loes Damhof introduces 21st-century skills of the Futures Literacy method, challenging conventional thinking about the future. What happens when we are open to exploring the future and don't let ourselves be paralyzed by complexity and assumptions from the present?

Talk | Marie-José van Tol | Feeling overwhelmed?
To feel well, it helps to do things you find important or fun, that you feel you are up to your tasks, and that you have some sense of control. But how to organize this in a chaotic world where everything seems important and urgent? Professor of Mood & Cognition Marie-José van Tol will talk about how the brain processes information, and how we can help ourselves to feel better and less overwhelmed when chaos is all around.

Talk | Michiel van Elk | Beyond Ecstasy
Mystical experiences, such as religious epiphanies or psychedelic journeys, have the potential to provide individuals with a profound sense of purpose and understanding. How can the transformative character of these transcendent encounters be explained? In a world where many grapple with a meaning crisis and a sense of purposelessness, Associate Professor Cognitive Psychology Michiel van Elk investigates whether these induced experiences could serve to restore a sense of meaning.

Talkshow | Lucas is Shaking the Habitual
Cultural entrepreneur Lucas De Man welcomes speakers, artists, and the audience to his sofa. How do they deal with chaos? Do they, like Charles Ives, embrace the unconventional, or do they stick to what is familiar? Or perhaps they have some tips on how we can open ourselves up to the new?

Workshops | Conducting, Improvisation, Ecstatic Dance and more tba!
Ever wanted to learn how to conduct? Now is your chance to pick up the baton (literally), because conductor Anthony Hermes will show you the ins and outs of directing an orchestra. Interdisciplinary artist Jan Ruerd Oosterhaven developed the ImproMachine that challenges you to improvise musically: do you want to give it a go? Or are you looking for a more immersive experience? Then try the workshop ecstatic dance!  

This event is organised in collaboration with The North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Hanze Honours College and University College Groningen. It is part of Immens, Indrukwekkend; Ives, a programme by the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra from 2-16 March 2024, dedicated to Charles Ives.