Ricky Koole – Rare leeftijd

Het Postkantoor is a multifunctional centre in Bovenkarspel, a village in North Holland. It sits on the Hoofdstraat and opened its doors on 1 September 2012. As the name suggests, it is not a purpose built concert hall but a flexible building that can be used for many kinds of events, with theatre named alongside concerts as one of its main uses. Since opening, the venue has built up a varied programme. Songkick lists a few dozen past concerts there, and the names give a sense of the range. Dutch songwriters such as Janne Schra and Spinvis have played at Het Postkantoor, as has Beatrice van der Poel. The calendar also reaches into classical and early music: a harpsichord recital by Michael Hell was part of a Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht tour that stopped in Bovenkarspel, and a concert in the Ton de Leeuw centenary series, organised through the Donemus publishing house, has been scheduled there too. At the other end of the spectrum, the venue has hosted standing concerts in the style of The Very 80's, a tribute night built around music from that decade. That mix of singer songwriters, contemporary composers, early music and party nights is what defines the place. Rather than specialising in one genre, Het Postkantoor works as a local stage in the Westfriesland region where a small town audience can see national names and touring ensembles without travelling to Amsterdam or Utrecht. The multifunctional setup also means the same space can switch between a seated theatre or recital format and a standing concert, depending on what the programme calls for.