Ellen Lacht - Ad Grooten & De Grote Broers

After growing up in a happy family in the Dutch East Indies, Ellen endured the horrors of the Japanese internment camps and the bersiap period. After that, she had a hard time adjusting to the cold Netherlands, but in Curaçao she blossomed completely. Later, back in the Netherlands, she proudly saw how beautifully her children and grandchildren were growing up. And then Alzheimer's came her way. But... 'every disadvantage has its advantage!'

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer AD GROOTEN became famous with his groups Pater Moeskroen, Cowboy Billie Boem and Mannen van Naam. In addition, he wrote the fairy tale books of the Efteling and Sprookjesboom de Musical, as well as numerous other musicals and children's shows. After studying the many preserved old letters from the Indian family archive, he is now writing the book ELLEN, which will be inextricably linked to the show of the same name and the album of Grootenbroers.

Rapper and drummer COEN GROOTEN, eight years younger than Ad, has made his mark in hip hop and funk. Under the name ARE MC, he was frontman in groups such as Dope Posse, The Family Jewels and Seven Eleven and worked with numerous artists, including Brainpower and Hans Dulfer. In the performance ELLEN, Coen, together with Ad, takes the audience on a fascinating (auto)biographical story, in which the cheerful notes will certainly not be missing.

Together with third band member, keyboard player and composer JEROEN HABRAKEN, also producer of the album ELLEN, the Grootenbroers bring a varied, evening-filling program. The main menu consists of Dutch folk songs, played on acoustic instruments and keyboards. All of this on a bed of live percussion and atmospheric beats, garnished with stylized raps and beautiful stories.

On the album ELLEN, which will be released soon, the Grootenbroers are assisted by a selection of guest musicians, including the Indonesian artists Sally Flissinger (Hermes House Band) and U-Gene (Eugène Latumeten, who played with Urban Dance Squad, Anouk and Kraak & Smaak, among others) as well as the Curaçaoan singer Yuli Minguel, known from the very first Idols final.