Car Ensemble of the Netherlands
| Company type | Ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1984 in Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Founder | Herbert Verhey |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Rotterdam , Netherlands |
Area served | Netherlands, Germany |
Key people | Herbert Verhey |
| Products | Musical performances combining automobiles and conventional instruments |
The Car Ensemble of the Netherlands (known in Dutch as "Nederlands Auto Ensemble") was a unique Dutch orchestra that integrated automobiles with conventional musical instruments. This group was active in both the Netherlands and Germany between 1984 and 1987.
History
Established in Rotterdam in 1984 by the Dutch artist and designer Herbert Verhey, the ensemble made its debut performance at the Tom Tom Club during the same year.
Their compositions were structured as segments containing improvisational guidelines, which gave the conductor flexibility to adjust the length of each part. The ensemble incorporated sounds from car engines, horns, doors, and car radios, alongside vocals, saxophone, and unconventional percussion instruments. Many of the drivers involved had previously participated in Verhey’s 1983 project Concert For Thirty Cars near Rotterdam.
On 5 September 1985, invited by the Goethe Institut, the group performed in Düsseldorf. The lineup included local drivers Marcel Hardung, Adolf Lechtenberg, Julia Lohmann, Gisela Kleinlein, and Klaus Richter. Dutch musicians featured Marjo Kroese (vocals), Bob Stoute (percussion), and Alan Purves (percussion). A recording from this concert was issued on a flexi disc by Time Based Arts in Amsterdam in 1986.
During performances held on 13–14 June 1986 in Amsterdam as part of the Romantic Aesthetics Festival, a drive-in cinema format was employed. This allowed a local radio station to transmit supplementary sounds and directions directly to audience members seated in their cars. British filmmakers Richard Heslop and Daniel Landin collaborated with Verhey to create the film Procar, which was projected as a visual backdrop. The event’s remastered audio recording later served as the soundtrack for this film. In 1987, Procar—a 19-minute black-and-white 16 mm film—was showcased at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The ensemble’s last official appearance took place on 16 August 1987 during the Boulevard of Broken Dreams theatre festival in 's-Hertogenbosch. For this event, they worked alongside Dutch artist Willem de Ridder, who directed local residents via radio broadcast to gather at a parking area to participate.
Although Verhey dissolved the group later that year, one final performance occurred in June 1990 in Hilversum for Han Reiziger’s television show Reiziger in Muziek. Reiziger, who had also broadcasted the original 1983 Concert For Thirty Cars, was among those driving a vehicle during this concluding event.