The 2024 Grand Prix proves once again: Dijk en Waard is packed with talent

How diverse can a talent presentation be? Very diverse, as the students of Trinitas College proved last weekend. On two evenings we not only saw very strong bands, singer-songwriters and dance groups, but also a political rapper – with the beautiful name Zwembril – a harpist and even aerial dancing, where the choreography is performed high in the air and hanging from cloths. High-profile, it turned out during the break and afterwards. Ultimately, the band Men In Black won both the DeStrato audience award and the jury prize: The Grand Prize Exchange Trophy that has now been around for 33 years.

Rapper Zwembril made an impression with his song ‘Zorgen Dat Het Goed Komt’. – (Photo: Michael W. Rosa/ Xiphias Photography)

Regius

Before we let the gentlemen of Men In Black speak, there is news to report. The virtuoso harpist Halina Riteco performed as an additional 23rd act this year. Halina is a student at Regius College. Trinitas and Regius have been part of the Pontis group for several years and an initial exploration was made to involve Regius in De Grote Prijs. Halina previously won the Regius Crown. The politically charged rap of Zwembril (real name: Zinedine Lelis Frazao) was tight and fiery and marked the very welcome return of the Rap category at De Grote Prijs after many years.

Well-known local singer Martine Wolkers is saying goodbye as jury chairman after ten years. After last year the Rabobank was waved goodbye as main sponsor after many years, this year it was Rotary and Destrato who proudly linked their names to two evenings of The Grand Prix. However, more sponsors will be needed in the long term to secure the GP for the coming years.

Men In Black

The band Men In Black surprised with nice blues and – the name says it all – clothing based on The Blues Brothers. The gentlemen’s act became tighter, better and more exuberant with each performance, so what can we expect in the future?

But let’s start at the beginning. “Pianist Barry Krom and singer Ruben Visagie were improvising on a blues scheme,” says a still delighted Camile Wegman afterwards. “They thought it might be nice for the Grand Prix, so they looked for a guitarist, drummer and bassist. I joined on guitar, Jelle Bosma on bass and Ralf Steffen on drums.” The first draft, with only vocals and piano, was simply sent via WhatsApp in the group app. “So we all had that basis and we all started coming up with parts based on it at home and then we got together to rehearse and see if everything came together. The idea became clearer and clearer. For example, with the preliminary round, De Kleine Prijs, I didn’t have a suit yet, so when we advanced to the Grand Prix I quickly went to the WE in Middenwaard to buy one.”

The evolution of the band continued, even after the first jury criticisms. “Even during the Grand Prix shows we still started making things up. So the performance during the encore was the best, but we had already won! The first evening the bassist and I heard that we could play together a little more actively, so we immediately started doing that the second evening. I also spontaneously started playing a certain piece differently.”

The Grand Prix shows how diverse the talent is in Dijk en Waard and the surrounding area. – (Photo: Michael W. Rosa/ Xiphias Photography)

A big family

The competition is fierce, but above all it is different. According to Camile, one of the biggest contenders came very close. Even from their own band. “Our pianist Barry also played a piece he wrote himself on the piano. A classical piece, which he even wrote out in notes for the jury. That was very good. We also really liked the harpist and Zwembril the rapper.” Our question – with a big wink – whether it was not tempting to sabotage the competition from our own band, is immediately dismissed with a laugh. It doesn’t work that way at the Grand Prix. The participants are there for each other, support each other and afterwards they have become one big family.

Then the question remains what will happen with Men In Black. Will we see the band in Paradiso or the Ziggo Dome in the future? “It was fantastic to do this together, but I don’t think so. A large part of the band is in their senior year, so everyone is going to study somewhere. Of course we will all continue to make music.” We are very curious to know which bands from which student cities we will see the gentlemen in in the future!