Polyfonia

Sales will start in early May 2027.

What if Brussels could speak?

What if the streets, squares, buildings and trees could tell us what they have seen? The voices of those who have lived, loved, worked, struggled and grown up here… The sounds of a changing city, languages crossing paths, music echoing through the streets, memories that remain.

For its first edition, Polyfonia invites children aged 9 to 12 from Brussels schools to discover their city through singing, movement and listening.

Because a city is not made only of stone, concrete and glass. It is also made of people, stories, encounters and memories. Every street bears traces of what came before. Every neighbourhood tells us something about those who built it and those who live there today.

Throughout the project, the young choristers will give voice to the many voices of Brussels. They will sing about the joys and routines of everyday life, about the languages and cultures that meet, but also about the changes taking place in the city, buildings that disappear, neighbourhoods that transform and residents seeking to preserve what belongs to them.

Could a square have ears?

What would it hear?

And if it had a voice, what would it tell us?

Through a repertoire combining newly commissioned works and existing pieces, the children will bring these questions to life in French, Dutch and the many languages that make up Brussels.

On stage, they will be accompanied by La Choraline, the youth choir of La Monnaie. These young choristers will share their experience and accompany the children throughout the concert, forming a large intergenerational choir together. Five professional musicians will complete the ensemble and bring the repertoire to life on the stage of Bozar.

As Bozar’s new participatory project, Polyfonia continues the journey begun with Cantania, a project that, over ten years, enabled thousands of children to discover choral singing and experience the unique opportunity of performing in a large-scale concert at Bozar. With Polyfonia, this adventure continues and opens a new chapter, deeply rooted in the reality of Brussels.

Echoes of Brussels is an invitation to listen to the city differently. To look at what surrounds us, to hear the stories hidden within it, and to understand that we too are part of this history.

And perhaps, by making their voices resonate through the great Henry Le Bœuf Hall, the children will create a new echo: that of Brussels today, and of the Brussels they will help shape tomorrow.