OperaHole to Present ‘anti-koncertseries’

Copenhagen-based production collective OperaHole has announced the “anti-koncertseries,” a collection of concert works designed to break the unwritten rules of classical concert formats, beginning with “your move” on Jan. 16, 2027.

“your move” will be presented at basement in Copenhagen. The series continues with the premiere of “audience workshop (boo!)” on Feb. 27, 2027, at Dansekapellet, with performances at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

“your move” reinterprets John Cage’s “Reunion,” a piece for chessboard and live electronics in which a game of chess determines the live mix of the electronics performances. Coloratura soprano and OperaHole co-artistic director Litha Ashforth has redesigned the chessboard. Audience members can sit and play at the board or stand around it while sound artists feed live electronics into it, and the position of the pieces determines what is heard as the sound moves through the room.

“audience workshop (boo!)” takes aim at what OperaHole calls “standing ovation inflation” in classical concert culture. The cabaret-style concert work is hosted by Faroese performer Hávard Magnussen and invites audiences to boo and throw tomatoes. Magnussen will lead attendees through a 10-step program on post-show behavior and hand out buckets of slime. Performers who fail to hold the audience’s attention risk being slimed and booed offstage.

The series was conceived by OperaHole co-artistic director Daniel Rosenberg and follows the company’s debut program, “screen (mad scenes).”

Rosenberg said, per an official press release, “the anti-koncertseries is an entertaining, impolite answer to boredom in the concert hall.”

The series is supported by Koda Kultur, Københavns Kommune Musikudvalg and The Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond. OperaHole was formed in 2025 by Rosenberg and Ashforth.

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