Huelgas Workshop I
Orlando di Lasso: Lamentationes Hieremiae Prophetae à 4 (selection)

Director: Achim Schulz
Fri. 13 + Sat. 14 + Sun. 15 November 2026

​

The Huelgas Ensemble invites you to a special weekend dedicated entirely to the practice of polyphonic singing. Together we will rehearse, refine, and explore the fascinating sound world of the Renaissance.
The weekend will be led by Achim Schulz, a long-time singer with the Huelgas Ensemble and successor to its artistic direction. He will guide participants through the expressive polyphony of Lassus and explore with them the questions, challenges, and joys involved in performing this music, using selected works from Orlando di Lasso’s four-part Lamentations.

After registering, participants will receive the scores and partbooks as PDF files. This way, everyone can prepare in advance and bring printed copies to the workshop weekend.

Target group
Singers of all voice types are welcome, including professional and semi-professional singers, students, and experienced choral singers who possess a beautiful and secure ensemble voice. The focus is on practical music-making together; theory will consciously take a back seat.

​

Number of Participants
Maximum of 5 singers per voice part (mixed four-part choir).

Place
The workshop will take place in the rehearsal hall of the Huelgas Ensemble:
Sint Vincentius Ziekenhuis chapel
Sint-Vincentiusstraat 20
2018 Antwerp - Belgium

Participation fee
180,- €

Languages offered
English, Dutch, German, Spanish

Registration closing date
13 October 2026

 

Huelgas Masterclass
The Jena Choirbooks
Director: Paul Van Nevel
Fri. 4 + Sat. 5 + Sun. 6 December 2026

The University of Jena possesses a unique collection of choirbooks containing polyphonic compositions written between approximately 1480 and 1525, the golden age of the Franco-Flemish repertoire - a magnificent treasure of polyphony.
Around ten of these choirbooks will be examined in depth during this workshop: What repertoire do they contain? Who are the composers? What are the stylistic characteristics? We will also explore why these choirbooks came to Jena and how they were used. Questions of performance practice will naturally be addressed as well, including issues of text underlay and much more.
All of these insights will be put into practice: about half of the workshop time will be devoted to singing selected works, with reading and performing from original sources at its core. Maestro Paul Van Nevel will guide you through the manuscripts and offer you the perspective of a singer around the year 1500.

All participants will receive a folder with a comprehensive collection of materials - as a basis for their work during the weekend, but also as a starting point for further independent studies.

Target group
Professional and semi-professional singers, students, and experienced choral singers who are familiar with the music of the 15th and 16th centuries.

​

Number of Participants
Minimum 5 - maximum 15 participants (mixed choir).

Place
The masterclass will take place at the residence of the Huelgas Ensemble:
Groot Begijnhof 13 (hall: ‘De Engelbewaarder’)
3000 Leuven - Belgium

Participation fee (including collection of materials)
300,- €

Languages offered
Dutch, French, English, German

Registration closing date
4 November 2026

 

Huelgas Seminar
History and practice of the notation of polyphonic music 1180 - 1600
Director: Paul Van Nevel
Fri. 15 + Sat. 16 + Sun. 17 January 2027

The Huelgas Ensemble is organising a weekend during which our artistic director, Paul Van Nevel, will give a comprehensive introduction to the historical notation of polyphonic music. Paul Van Nevel will share his extensive knowledge, which he has gained through countless studies and the realisation of his artistic work over more than 50 years. The rules of the various notations are not simply explained in dry musicological terms, but a reference to musical practice is always established. The aim is to enable the participants to read these old notations independently, so that direct access to the music is possible without detours via modern transcriptions. Authentic access via the sources enables an intensive and direct experience of the musical aesthetics of the time and opens up a new understanding of polyphonic music for the participants. At the same time, this knowledge is the key to being able to go on voyages of discovery in the old sources themselves.

All participants will receive a folder with a comprehensive collection of materials - as a basis for their work during the weekend, but also as a starting point for further independent studies.

Target group

All lovers of polyphonic music (professional and non-professional).

​

Number of Participants
Maximum 7 participants.

Place
The seminar will take place in Paul Van Nevel’s library in Antwerp (the exact
address will be communicated after participation has been confirmed).

Participation fee (including collection of materials)
300,- €

Languages offered
Dutch, French, English, German

Registration closing date
15 December 2026

​

​

Huelgas Workshop II
Codex Las Huelgas: Music of the 13th and 14th Centuries from France and Spain
Director: Sabine Lutzenberger
Fri. 5 + Sat. 6 + Sun. 7 February 2027

The Las Huelgas manuscript, written around 1340, originates from the northern Spanish Cistercian convent of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos. The codex contains 186 sacred compositions from the 13th and 14th centuries, including motets, conductus, sacred songs, and polyphonic Mass settings, as well as beautiful monophonic songs and sequences. The manuscript is one of the most important sources for the polyphonic repertoire of Notre-Dame that was owned and performed by women. It remained in use until the 15th century.
Sabine Lutzenberger will celebrate her 25th anniversary as a permanent member of the Huelgas Ensemble in 2026. She is an internationally renowned interpreter of early music vocal repertoire. In addition, she has distinguished herself as a performer of a wide variety of avant-garde compositions.

After registering, participants will receive the scores and partbooks as PDF files. This way, everyone can prepare in advance and bring printed copies to the workshop weekend.

​

Target group
The course is aimed at female singers who are interested in the music from the Codex Las Huelgas but who also enjoy vocal training and voice work, and who have fun singing together in a group as well as exploring new ways of working with their own voice. Interested singers, choir singers, amateurs, professional musicians, and students are all welcome. Anyone who plays a bowed or plucked instrument is very welcome to bring it. It can be modern or historically constructed.

Number of participants
Min. 12 - max. 18 participants (female voices only).
Place
The workshop will take place in the rehearsal hall of the Huelgas Ensemble:
Sint Vincentius Ziekenhuis chapel
Sint-Vincentiusstraat 20
2018 Antwerp - Belgium

Participation fee
180,- €

Languages offered
English, German

Registration closing date
5 January 2027

​

Timetable
Friday: 19.00 - 21.45
Saturday: 11.00 - 14.00 + 16.00 - 19.00
Sunday: 10.00 - 12.30 + 14.00 - 16.00

​

Registration
Registration by email to:
sales@huelgasensemble.be

(For both the workshops and the masterclass, please indicate your voice part and provide a brief description of your musical experience.)

The participation fee is due within 14 days after confirmation of participation by the Huelgas Ensemble.