Anyone who attended one of the Specials in May will never forget him: Robbert Besselaar, the singer from the CineMusic choir who sang Ghostbusters. He will also be there when we play The Night of CineMusic at the Concertgebouw on September 12. Time to get to know him better!
Tell us a bit about your background?
“I did two degrees that have nothing to do with singing: Dutch and Econometrics. Yet somewhere around the age of 24 or 25, I got stuck. I was in a phase where I asked myself: what do I actually really want? And then I came back to something I already loved as a child: singing. I decided then: I’ll give myself five years to make it as a singer. If it works, fantastic. If it doesn’t, at least I tried. During that period, I took a simple job so my mind was free to focus on singing lessons and performances.”
And it worked…
“Within three years, I had a role in the Efteling Fairytale Show. That was a dream come true for me, of course. After that, I did more auditions for musicals. I was cast in Les Misérables in Antwerp. Then followed productions like Oliver!, Chicago, Titanic, Elisabeth… all major productions by Joop van den Ende. A wonderful time in which I learned an incredible amount. After a few years, I decided to do something completely different. I ended up with a group called The Medley Men. We performed at parties and events with medleys of well-known songs: ABBA, Queen, the Eurovision Song Contest, Dutch repertoire… We did our own hosting and even a pop quiz. It was all very festive.”
And after that, you decided to take up the classical repertoire?
“Yes, I felt like I wanted more depth. I then started focusing on classical singing. I took some more singing lessons. At one point, I was hired as a classical singer in the dinner show at Studio 21 in Hilversum. I usually sang one or two classical songs per show, but later I also took over the hosting from Jeroen van der Boom when he had just scored his first hit ‘Jij bent zo’.”
How did you end up at CineMusic?
“Through my wife. She is also a singer and actress and worked on the project Bovenkamers with Robert Stoop (the leader of the CineMusic choir, ed.). That’s how I got in touch with him. Later, I saw a call from him on Facebook for choir singers for CineMusic and thought: that sounds fantastic. The first year I was rejected because he was only looking for amateur singers. A year later, I saw another call. I responded again. This time there was some budget and I was offered a spot after all. I thought that was great. That’s why I was on stage for The Special at the end of the 2024-2025 season and will be again this September for The Night of CineMusic at the Concertgebouw.”
How did the audition go?
“I was sick during both audition days. I was really upset about it because I desperately wanted to participate. Fortunately, Robert knew me somewhat and had seen video material of me. Based on that, he decided to add me to the choir anyway. I’m still grateful to him for that.”
How do you prepare for a concert show like that, with few joint rehearsals?
“We receive all the sheet music and orchestral recordings digitally. You study those at home. First, I get to know my own tenor part well. Then I listen to how it sounds as a whole. In pieces like Tintin, for example, there’s a significant tempo change. You really have to understand that thoroughly. For The Special, we had one joint choir rehearsal before the show week. In the show week itself, we rehearsed intensively with the orchestra and the whole team.”
In this choir, you mostly sing sounds, not lyrics. Is that different?
“The easy part is that you don’t have to learn lyrics. But you do have to convey emotion with just sounds: an ‘O’ or an ‘A’. That’s powerful, especially when you do it with 32 voices at once. It’s about the atmosphere and experience, so you have to find the right emotion for each arrangement. Music is so powerful. You can really touch someone with a well-placed sound.”
In May, you performed in theaters Phil. and Amare. Was that new for you?
“Yes, I didn’t know those venues yet. I’ve performed a lot in theaters with musicals, but these are real concert halls. And you can hear it. The acoustics are totally different. Theaters are generally visually warmer, with more decor and atmosphere. Concert halls are purely focused on acoustics. You hear every detail. That’s exciting, but also beautiful.”
In September, you’ll be at the Concertgebouw with The Night of CineMusic. Are you looking forward to it?
“Definitely. I’ve had the chance to sing Nessun Dorma there before with a live orchestra. From the stairs of the Concertgebouw. That remains one of my most cherished memories. That hall is legendary. All the greats of the world have stood there. It’s an honor to be allowed to sing there.”
Have you seen CineMusic as a visitor yet?
“No, not yet. Only from within the choir. My wife, daughter, and stepson have been in the audience and were very impressed. During a rehearsal, we as a choir got to see and hear Interstellar from the hall for a moment. That already gave me goosebumps. I completely understand why people are so enthusiastic about it.”
What do you find special about this show?
“The perfection. The music and images are synchronized to the millisecond. That means you’re immediately drawn into the story. When you hear the first notes of Forrest Gump, you’re already completely in it. And that happens time and time after. The choir really adds something to that. You feel the emotion in the hall. That’s partly because it’s sung live and you’re not listening to a recording. That makes the difference.”
What is your favorite piece?
“Hard to choose. Ghostbusters is great, of course, because I sing the solo there. That’s a party. But in terms of music and emotion, I’d choose Interstellar. It’s built up so beautifully, so layered. I still get goosebumps from it.”
If you’re asked again next year, will you join in again?
“Without a doubt. It’s wonderful to work with such a passionate team. If it were up to me, I’d travel the world with CineMusic.”