The Metropole Orkest celebrates its 80th anniversary with the release of the album Arakatak.
Today, the Metropole Orkest, the world’s largest pop and jazz orchestra, releases a special album in celebration of its 80th anniversary. The jubilee album brings together the talents of eight leading composers. The result? Music that represents the Metropole Orkest of the future.
Listen to the album here
The artwork for the “arakatak” album
Arakatak is an album full of new orchestral jazz with influences from film music. The title track was composed by horn player Morris Kliphuis. In addition, honorary conductor and master arranger Vince Mendoza, saxophonist and producer Donny McCaslin, resident guest conductor Miho Hazama, saxophonist Tineke Postma, drummer Mark Guiliana, pianist Shai Maestro, and composer Louis Cole contribute new compositions. The album is performed by the Metropole Orkest under the direction of Miho Hazama
With Arakatak, the Metropole Orkest reinforces its original mission: elevating light music to a higher level while constantly exploring new musical paths. Eighty years after the first telegram that led to the orchestra’s founding, Arakatak looks firmly toward the future.
The album release is being celebrated today with an exclusive live presentation at De Hallen, where the audience sits amidst the orchestra and experiences the music up close through headsets. During the evening, attendees will also get the premiere of a special music video created for the Metropole Orkest by comic artist Typex.
The album Arakatak was released today, March 6, 2026, via V2 Records.
