Brutally Minimalistic

Brutally Minimalistic 2025 is a cultural event designed as an antidote to consumerism and Black Friday, hosted at De Thomas in Zuidas, renowned for its Brutalist architecture. Featuring minimal music by a piano duo and inspiring talks, the event offers full immersion in space, sound, and thought.

This concert provides a moment of reflection on our daily lives before the rush of festive holidays like Thanksgiving, Sinterklaas, and Christmas. By presenting minimal music as a conceptual counterbalance to consumerism, the program encourages reflection amidst today's fast-paced consumer culture, countering the impulsive purchases and overconsumption sparked by events like Black Friday. (See other counter-initiatives such as 'Green Friday')

John Adams: Hallelujah Junction(Featured in the film “Call Me By Your Name”)
Philip Glass: Four Movements for Two Pianos (excerpt)
Michael Nyman: Water Dances (excerpt)

• Degrowth;
• Re- / Circular Economy

(speech will be in English)

Josephine de Zwaan | Supervisory Board Roles, Former Chair of the Board at Fairphone / Nyenrode Alumni and PfD student (Topic: Driving repair, reuse, and recycling in each of your roles)

Nicolas Chevrollier | Associate Professor at Nyenrode (Topic: Degrowth)

Herman Lai, piano

, piano

• van Lai Production
• Nyenrode Alumni Circle For Sustainability
• Herman Lai producer
• Tamara Veldboer co-lead
• Tzu-Wei (Velika) Hung event manager
• I-Chun Chou visual designer

• Date: 5 November 2025
• Time: Doors open at 18:30
• Location: de Thomas
• Address: Prinses Irenestraat 36, Amsterdam (next to Amsterdam Zuid Station, Beethovenstraat, and WTC)
• Admission: 20€ regular ticket / 12,50€ student / free admission for under 18

Transaction fees and BTW are already included in the ticket price.

To make the event more accessible to everyone, we have kept ticket prices affordable. Inviting your family, friends, or colleagues to join you would be the biggest support to us.

The building of de Thomas was designed by architect Karel Sijmons and is considered to be the most important Protestant church building after the Second World War. The brutalist interior of the church hall is one of the 100 most beautiful church interiors in the Netherlands. Sijmons designed everything in the church hall itself, including the chairs. And the Thomaskerk has its own indoor theatre: unique for Dutch churches.

Info: In addition to the main program of minimalist music and keynote speakers, visitors to the concert are invited to bring good things that they no longer use. These will be placed on the ‘table of abundance’, where the items can find a new owner for free. This is not mandatory and this table can be visited during the event. All kinds of items are welcome, such as books, clothing, household items, toys and games.
The only rule is that you take your brought item back if no one has taken it.

Host or Publisher Herman Lai