Wishful Singing performs new soundtrack to Fritz Lang’s film classic
We experience a city in 2026 as Fritz Lang envisioned it in 1927: underground, workers toil to keep colossal machines running, while above them the elite live in luxury. At the heart of the story is a young woman who offers the workers hope and calls for harmony — until her likeness is copied onto a robot programmed with a very different purpose…
This gripping, timeless classic raises questions about power, technology and humanity that feel just as urgent today as they did then — but does the film’s ending offer a satisfying answer?
Vocal ensemble Wishful Singing performs new music by Steven Kamperman, composed especially for this line-up. The music — full of haunting vocals, driving percussion and crossovers between human and machine — not only adds an extra layer, but also challenges you to view and question this iconic classic in a contemporary light, 100 years after its premiere.
Vocals: Wishful Singing (Anne-Christine Wemekamp, Marjolein Stots, Maria Goetze, Tal Shasha)
Composition & bass clarinet: Steven Kamperman
Drums & modular synthesizer: Yonga Sun
Electric guitar & Max programming: Jorrit Westerhof
Sound: Koen Keevel
Dramaturgy & artistic support: Stella Brüggen and Xandra Mizée
Campaign image:Henry Faber
Filmmaker: Fritz Lang
With thanks to the Murnau Stiftung
Wishful Singing
Wishful Singing is a vocal ensemble of five professional singers, known for their distinctive sound, artistic drive and social engagement. Since its founding in 2004, the ensemble has been creating innovative performances, concerts and educational projects in which music contributes to well-being and connection. Their repertoire is wide-ranging and includes early music, folk music, Gregorian chant, close harmony and works composed especially for them. Wishful Singing collaborates with leading artists and composers and develops impactful social projects, including the successful singing programme Zing je sterk (“Sing Yourself Strong”).
“The five singers of Wishful Singing sing so beautifully that heaven and earth seem to swap places on the spot.” — Stijn Fens, Trouw
Photo: Schaapjesfabriek
Steven Kamperman
Steven Kamperman (1970) is a composer and bass clarinettist who moves at the intersection of composed music, jazz and music theatre. His opera Roodhapje won the YAMAward for youth opera in 2016. He also regularly writes live film scores for silent films, including the acclaimed Wishful Singing production Der Müde Tod (Fritz Lang, 1921). As a composer, Kamperman is known for his imaginative sonic language; the newspaper Trouw called him “a wizard of timbre”. His work often seeks out contrasts: between styles, but also between musical structures and free expression. As an improviser, Kamperman performs with HOT Het Orgel Trio, with Finnish pianist Aki Rissanen and with his own Prince Achmed Trio, among others.
Steven Kamperman has been composer in residence with vocal ensemble Wishful Singing for several years, during which time he has already written the opera Charlotte Salomon — Leben? oder Theater? in the past year.
Photo: Henry Faber
Yonga Sun
Yonga Sun (1977) is a drummer, sound designer and theatrical creative spirit. He is at home across a wide artistic spectrum, from freely improvising duos to symphonic projects. As a composer and musician, he has contributed to award-winning music theatre productions, including SUPERTRAMP, winner of the Zilveren Krekel 2014. According to the Norwegian magazine Jazznytt, Yonga has “a dynamic repertoire from another world”, and France’s Le Monde describes him as “a drummer with lightning-fast agility”. He has collaborated with the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, performed with Kurt Elling and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, featured in Slagwerkkrant’s Top 10 of the most impressive percussionists at the North Sea Jazz Festival, and won the soloist prize at the Dutch Jazz Competition. He also teaches sound design at the ArtEZ Conservatory and performs with modular synthesizers and electronics.
Photo: Tom Beetz
Jorrit Westerhoff
Jorrit Westerhof (1992) is a versatile guitarist and audio-video artist based in Rotterdam. He played in the Dutch National Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2013–2014, after which bandleader Eric Vloeimans promptly invited him to join his own band Gatecrash. He was subsequently approached for projects by renowned musicians such as Han Bennink and Michael Moore. In recent years, Westerhof has been focusing increasingly on electroacoustic and digital music and video art, using software that responds to his playing in both expected and unexpected ways. Jorrit Westerhof is co-founder of Elephant Baby Records/studio in Rotterdam. He is currently an active member of TECA, Soon to Expire, Hala and the Rotterdam Electronic Improvisers Orchestra, and regularly performs solo.
Photo: Willen Schwertmann
