Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) -As the cultural season of 2026–2027 gets underway, the choirs of the city of Hasselt and surrounding area are beginning the process of building up their ranks by recruiting new singers to participate in their rehearsals and concerts.
Although there are no choirs advertised using the term “Hasselt Men’s Choir” in English in the current listings, several Dutch language men’s and mixed choirs in Hasselt are currently recruiting new members, offering open rehearsals, and publishing their new season programme. At the same time, there is a tradition of Mannenzang evenings taking place in the Grote Kerk on Markt 10 in Hasselt, along with project choirs put together for particular concerts.
Which choirs in Hasselt are recruiting new members this season?
There are various groups in the Hasselt region that have recently made it known that they would be open to having new members. For example, the Gereformeerd Mannenkoor IJsselmond, which is based in the Netherlands, is a good example of this trend in the region because it recently made an announcement on 17 August 2026 that it is going to begin its new season on Thursday, 3 September 2026 and invite “men from age 16 who like to sing to join on a non-committal basis.”
Although this particular choir does not belong to Belgian Hasselt, its timing and wording are characteristic of recruitment campaigns typical for the broader Dutch-speaking region including Limburg. In Hasselt itself, there will be the formation of an SCAB-projectkoor conducted by Theo Voorberg that will be “open to all interested singers.” Project choirs usually rehearse intensively during a certain period of time and perform in a concert after a while, providing a way for people interested to try singing without having to commit themselves to a one-year-long group. Regular men’s singing events are still part of the local choral scene in Hasselt as well. Announcements for “Mannenzang Hasselt” indicate that the church doors are open at 19:00 with the beginning of singing at 19:30 and an entrance fee of €2.50 per person and that it is “all men and also young men” who are invited.
When did similar recruitment drives happen before in Hasselt?
Choir recruitment at the beginning of the season is another characteristic of Hasselt’s culture. Early in 2026, the Reformatorisch Gemengd Koor Cantilena celebrated its 20-year anniversary by recruiting both former and new members for rehearsals since January 2026, in order to perform a jubilee concert in the Grote Kerk of Hasselt on 18 April 2026. This example shows that milestones in the life of choruses usually become the starting point for specific recruitment campaigns of both old and new members.
The history of Hasselt is full of examples when changes in choral culture have been performed through new formations and spin-offs. In 1997, six members of the Hasselt Virga Jesse choir formed a new chorus as they felt a need to sing in a “new and lighter form of choral music.” Even earlier, in 1980, the Hasselt Fire Brigade Choir became the first fire brigade chorus in Belgium.
More recently, men’s singing nights in the Grote Kerk have been scheduled repeatedly, including a “Zangavond Hasselt” on 28 February 2026 at 19:30, reinforcing the pattern of regular, seasonally anchored events that double as visibility and recruitment moments.
