Dutch String Collective

The Sint Aegtenkapel is a medieval chapel in the centre of Amersfoort, on 't Zand. It began life as the church of the Sint Aegten monastery, and the building that once served the cloister community has since been turned into a small concert venue. The monastery itself is gone as a working institution, but the former monastery church remains in use, now as a place for listening rather than for worship. The room is valued for its acoustics, which are singled out again and again when the chapel is described. Stained glass windows and chandeliers give the interior its look, and together with the sound they set the chapel apart from the usual run of concert halls. The scale is intimate, so audiences sit close to the musicians, which suits the kind of programme staged here. The chapel is managed and programmed by Flint, the theatre in Amersfoort, and forms part of that organisation. Its programme leans towards classical music, with concerts running throughout the year. The stage is open both to young, emerging performers and to established musicians, so a single season can include newcomers still building a name alongside artists with long careers. The mix of an old religious building, a fine acoustic and a classical focus gives the Sint Aegtenkapel a character quite different from the larger theatre and club venues elsewhere in the city. It is reachable on foot from Amersfoort station, since the chapel sits right in the old centre.