Gitaarsalon Hosts: Ruud van Halder

From September 2026, the Gitaarsalon will settle in the Batavierhuis with a monthly concert series entirely dedicated to the guitar. For over 25 years, the Gitaarsalon has been a household name in the Netherlands, with a gigantic Guitar Festival at the Zuiderzeemuseum and two concert series in Enkhuizen.

Every last Sunday of the month (subject to change), a beautiful guitar concert can be admired in the afternoon at the Batavierhuis. Curious about what the guitar has to offer, and who the new promising talents are in the Dutch guitar world? Then come and listen and watch.

Raised in Brabant and shaped at the conservatory in Rotterdam, his musical journey began with instrumental music. It was precisely in that music that he found the freedom that still attracts him: room for emotion, spontaneity, and stories that need no words.

Although he is currently primarily active as a guitarist with Suzan & Freek and played in various bands for years, the acoustic guitar remains his *safe space* and greatest love. That personal quest took shape in 2024 with his debut album *Safe Space*: an instrumental album in which emotion and stillness take center stage. Inspired by guitarists such as Julian Lage, Bryan Sutton, and James Taylor, he seeks music that cannot be confined by fixed forms, but arises from feeling. For where words fall short, the guitar takes over.