Big Bang

On 21 November, children will be in charge for the whole day at La Monnaie: BIG BANG is descending on both the Auditorium and Workshops!

After more than 30 years, this festival has become an international reference thanks to a unique mix of daring musical theatre, listening rooms, interactive installations and fantastic brass bands. On their journey of discovery, children will be treated to a colourful musical programme, but they don’t just have to sit still and listen. The festival is also, and above all, about discovering and doing things yourself, because there’s something to experience in every corner of our opera house. Big and Banging, right?!

Choose one of the following four options to kick off your journey of discovery.

€5

Revolution

Clench your fist, hold your head high and clear your throat: these two performances are all about revolutionary music.

Nina’s room

Nina Simone was an incredibly talented pianist and singer with a voice like no other. She enchanted the world with hits such as ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’ and ‘Feeling Good’. But songs like ‘To Be Young, Gifted and Black’ and ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free’ show that music can also be a way of denouncing injustice. In this short and intimate performance, three top-class all-female musicians bring her revolutionary musical legacy to life for young audiences.
Fest

Brace yourselves, hold your head high, clear your throat. Time for a festive revolution! In Fest, singer Junior Akwety, sound artist Jochem Baelus and clarinettist Lotte Vanhamel place their fate in the hands of the young audience. Ritual percussion and enchanting voices alternate; distorted sounds become sonic explosions, while hints of rumba, banto electronica, deep house, hip-hop and rap flow spontaneously into one another. Together with the audience, the musicians create a new world: uninhibited, free and spontaneous.

€5

Colours

See and hear the world through rainbow-coloured glasses with a programme full of colourful music.

Kaleïdoscope

Your whole life is yellow. Your house, your clothes, your songs. Everything! Until one day you discover something blue. Farnoosh Khodadadeh, who has Iranian roots, draws on the rich tradition of Persian music, while Seraphine Stragier weaves in songs from our corner of the world. Together, they create a varied palette of string, vocal and percussion sounds. Hundreds of colours for you to hear!
Fest

Brace yourselves, hold your head high, clear your throat. Time for a festive revolution! In Fest, singer Junior Akwety, sound artist Jochem Baelus and clarinettist Lotte Vanhamel place their fate in the hands of the young audience. Ritual percussion and enchanting voices alternate; distorted sounds become sonic explosions, while hints of rumba, banto electronica, deep house, hip-hop and rap flow spontaneously into one another. Together with the audience, the musicians create a new world: uninhibited, free and spontaneous.

€8

Instruments

From banjo and violin to bagpipes and accordion: on this journey, you will discover the craziest instruments.

Zigoto

In Zigoto, multi-instrumentalist Rémi Decker is the star. A one-man band, he combines his musical instruments – banjo! bagpipes! mbira! whistles! guitar! percussion! – with visuals featuring a parade of oddballs and quirky characters. And to round off the show, the audience is also given an active role. This makes Zigoto a rollercoaster ride for the ears and eyes.
Cavalcade en Cocazië

During a trip to Russia, Frédéric Jouhannet discovered a collection of traditional music in a record shop. Drawing on this inexhaustible source of sounds, he created the fictional character RédèR Nouhaj, the hero of a universe featuring the wildest of instruments: mechanical horses, hand-sewn masks and a multitude of improbable sounds. During this spectacular one-man concert, he delves into the notebooks of his imaginary journeys across endless plains and steep mountain passes. Like cinema for the ears!
Belá

The auditorium goes dark. And then the music begins. Not just any music, but melodies that rang out hundreds of years ago in the fields of Hungary and Romania, where people danced in times of joy and sorrow, at the first snow and when the first flower broke through. Composer Béla Bartók listened to these old songs and wrote them down. In this concert, Lieselot De Wilde stands in the centre of the auditorium and sings as if she were the seasons. Anne Niepold’s accordion is now cheerful and lively, now soft and quiet. Around them, an entire orchestra breathes in unison, while video artist Nele Fack transforms the entire stage with living images. A forest with a mountain and a cherry tree. A house full of old rooms and hidden doors, with the smell of apple pie reaching all the way up to the attic…

€5

World

Join us on a journey through the finest, funniest and most moving songs from around the world.

Amalaya

Amalaya brings the Colombian Bailes Cantaos to the Low Countries. This ensemble was born out of journeys, encounters and a deep desire to share musical memories. With traditional pieces and original compositions inspired by the Caribbean rhythms of Tambora and Bullerengue, this sextet celebrates Afro-Colombian culture with infectious enthusiasm. On stage, melodic and rhythmic passages alternate with polyphonic call-and-response singing. An invitation to listen, move and join a joyful, captivating trance.
Belá

The auditorium goes dark. And then the music begins. Not just any music, but melodies that rang out hundreds of years ago in the fields of Hungary and Romania, where people danced in times of joy and sorrow, at the first snow and when the first flower broke through. Composer Béla Bartók listened to these old songs and wrote them down. In this concert, Lieselot De Wilde stands in the centre of the auditorium and sings as if she were the seasons. Anne Niepold’s accordion is now cheerful and lively, now soft and quiet. Around them, an entire orchestra breathes in unison, while video artist Nele Fack transforms the entire stage with living images. A forest with a mountain and a cherry tree. A house full of old rooms and hidden doors, with the smell of apple pie reaching all the way up to the attic…

Discover the performances listed below individually

Amalaya
- 13:00
- 17:00
Amalaya brings the Colombian Bailes Cantaos to the Low Countries. This ensemble was born out of journeys, encounters and a deep desire to share musical memories. With traditional pieces and original compositions inspired by the Caribbean rhythms of Tambora and Bullerengue, this sextet celebrates Afro-Colombian culture with infectious enthusiasm. On stage, melodic and rhythmic passages alternate with polyphonic call-and-response singing. An invitation to listen, move and join a joyful, captivating trance.
Cavalcade en Cocazië
- 13:00
During a trip to Russia, Frédéric Jouhannet discovered a collection of traditional music in a record shop. Drawing on this inexhaustible source of sounds, he created the fictional character RédèR Nouhaj, the hero of a universe featuring the wildest of instruments: mechanical horses, hand-sewn masks and a multitude of improbable sounds. During this spectacular one-man concert, he delves into the notebooks of his imaginary journeys across endless plains and steep mountain passes. Like cinema for the ears!
Belá
- 14:00
- 16:00
The auditorium goes dark. And then the music begins. Not just any music, but melodies that rang out hundreds of years ago in the fields of Hungary and Romania, where people danced in times of joy and sorrow, at the first snow and when the first flower broke through. Composer Béla Bartók listened to these old songs and wrote them down. In this concert, Lieselot De Wilde stands in the centre of the auditorium and sings as if she were the seasons. Anne Niepold’s accordion is now cheerful and lively, now soft and quiet. Around them, an entire orchestra breathes in unison, while video artist Nele Fack transforms the entire stage with living images. A forest with a mountain and a cherry tree. A house full of old rooms and hidden doors, with the smell of apple pie reaching all the way up to the attic…

Discover a range of free activities

Balcony Concerts

Red velvet, glittering gold leaf, stunning ceiling paintings and a gigantic chandelier. Our Main Auditorium is sure to amaze our youngest visitors! Pop your head inside and be surprised by pop-up concerts from our orchestra musicians during your visit.
DROM XS

DIY drums come to life in experienced hands. And because they’re homemade drums, a highly original wall of sound emerges … DROM XS is a polyrhythmic mix that draws inspiration from all over the world. Think rolling rumba, creeping basslines, rousing breakbeats. Anything and everything is possible.
Queue / Cue

A two-metre-high car-wash brush waits in the middle of the hall. And so do the musicians. Who goes first? In Queue/Cue , the collaboration between composer Thordur Hans Baldursson and his performers takes place via a giant, rotating brush that listens, moves and responds. The musicians stand in a queue, waiting for their cue, and take their places one by one. And perhaps you too will be allowed to set the monster in motion, suddenly becoming part of a dialogue between human and machine…
Sound the Encounter

Sound the Encounter takes you back to the age of polyphony, in which melodies mimic, chase and embrace one another. Composer Seppe Indigne weaves canon, counterpoint and imitation into a soundtrack that resonates with recognition. But polyphony, it turns out, never wants to be heard alone. It needs a partner … Through an interactive radio play, children encounter their musical counterpart.