War No More Troubles, Rock Music Lab; War Pigs Edition
Rock Music Lab
Music Connection Lab 2026
War No More Troubles, War Pigs Edition
Concert
Monday 30 March 2026 — 20:00
Music On Club
Soestdijksekade 345
2574 AL Den Haag
Donation Based Entree.
Tickets: https://www.viewcy.com/event/war_no_more_troubles/promote/hannibalsaad
Concert Lineup (Performance Order)
- The Electric Ants
- Strong Resonance
- Umit C and band
- Youngsters Your Stage Urban Class
- Anne-Tjerk Mante and band
- Tjebbe Borggreve and Band
- Youmni Abou Alzahab, Lorenzo Mastrogregori, Danilo Mormandi, Kaan Yazici
About the Rock Music Lab
The Rock Music Lab is part of Music Connection Lab 2026 and brings together amateur rock musicians from The Hague in a shared learning and creation process. Professionals and amateurs work side by side — through rehearsals, coaching, and collective music-making — toward a public concert that highlights collaboration, experimentation, and live performance.
The thematic line War No More Troubles frames the project as a reflection on music as a space for expression, connection, and dialogue.
The Rock Music Lab is part of Music Connection Lab 2026 and brings together amateur rock musicians from The Hague in a shared learning and creation process. Through rehearsals, coaching, and collective music-making, participants work toward a public concert that highlights collaboration, experimentation, and live performance.
WAR PIGS
A joint production of Culture Unlimited and The Hague Peace Projects
We are surrounded by war rhetoric and militarisation is increasingly being normalised. But there are different ways to resist and challenge these narratives. This evening brings together speakers, activists, and audiences for reflection, dialogue, and inspiring conversations on alternative perspectives to militarisation.
The Hague Peace Projects and several partners will be speaking about the current war issues facing us.
Music partners
- Bandsessies
- Youngsters Your Stage Urban Class
Peace movement partners
- The Hague Peace Projects
- Youth Peace Summit
- Vrouwen & Duurzame Vrede
- Nederlandse Vereniging voor Medische Polemologie
- Muze’s Kus
Repertoire
The repertoire developed within the Rock Music Lab explores themes of war, peace, and love. Working within rock and metal idioms, participants reflect on conflict, resilience, solidarity, and human connection. The programme combines original material with well-known repertoire developed collectively during the rehearsal process. This includes original songs by Anne-Tjerk Mante, such as Dit is mijn Den Haag, original compositions by Ascendants (led by Youmni Abou Alzahab), and selected rock and crossover classics such as War Pigs, and Holy Diver.
Coaching & Guidance
Participants in the Rock Music Lab are supported by experienced musicians who provide guidance during rehearsals and help facilitate ensemble work:
• Lorenzo Mastrogregori — drums
• Kaan Yazici — bass, vocals
• Danilo Mormandi — guitar
Their role is to support the learning process, ensemble coordination, and preparation for the final concert.
Youmni Abou Alzahab — vocal
Born in Damascus and now based in the Netherlands, Youmni Abou Alzahab is a vocalist, composer, and producer whose work connects rock, metal, experimental collaboration, and interdisciplinary performance across cultures and continents. His musical journey began at the age of seven at the Youth Institute in Damascus and later continued at the Damascus Fine Art College, where he studied interior design while developing his artistic career as a singer and performer.
Since 1999, Youmni has performed with numerous bands and musical projects across a wide stylistic spectrum, including Ascendant, Jellyfish, Urgent, Scallywag, Glamours, Tuxedos, Purple Haze, Rasas, Chili Band, Anas and Friends, and Kulna Sawa. His performances have brought him to stages across the Middle East, Europe, and international festivals, establishing him as a versatile artist with a strong stage presence and a distinctive expressive voice.
A defining chapter in his artistic career began in 2012 when he joined the progressive metal band Ascendant as lead vocalist, composer, and music producer. With Ascendant he helped shape a powerful musical language responding to the emotional realities of the Syrian conflict. Their album Land of a Thousand Echoes (2017) reflects deeply personal and collective narratives emerging from the experience of war and displacement.
During this period he performed at major international festivals including Desert Rock Festival (UAE) and Beirut Metal Festival, sharing stages with artists such as Europe, Lake of Tears, Circle II Circle, Salem, Xandria, Tim “Ripper” Owens, and Lacrimas Profundere. The band also won the Gulf WOA Metal Battle.
Beyond the rock and metal scene, Youmni has worked as a singer and composer for film, theatre, television, and animation, contributing to productions including the Bollywood film Dishoom and the German theatre production Please Repeat After Me. His artistic practice reflects an ongoing search for dialogue between musical traditions, contemporary sound worlds, and lived social realities.
For this concert in The Hague, he performs with an ensemble of musicians active across the Dutch and international music scenes.
Lorenzo Mastrogregori — drums
Originally from Italy and now based in the Netherlands, Lorenzo Mastrogregori is an eclectic drummer deeply rooted in jazz tradition while working fluently across groove-based music and rock. His artistic work spans Big Band jazz, Spanish folk music, improvised dance productions, and contemporary ensemble performance. He is also active as a conductor of several Big Bands in the Zuid-Holland region.
Danilo Mormandi — guitar
Italian-born guitarist, arranger, and bandleader Danilo Mormandi is based in The Hague and performs across jazz, rock, blues, funk, fusion, soul, and pop. After beginning with classical guitar, he continued his studies at the Music Academy of Rome before moving to the Netherlands to study jazz at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. He is active in numerous ensembles and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Kaan Yazici — bass, vocals
Based in The Hague, Kaan Yazici is a bassist, vocalist, producer, and sound engineer working internationally across performance and studio production. He performs as vocalist with Sails of Serenity and as bassist in Decolmuseum, the progressive rock project of Alfian Emir Adytia. Alongside his performance work he is active as an internationally touring live sound engineer and mixing specialist. He holds both Bachelor and Master degrees in Art of Sound (minor in Sonology) from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Umit-C — vocals
Born and raised in The Hague, Umit-C developed an early passion for poetry and music and began writing rap lyrics at the age of fifteen. Over the years he has become an established voice within the local music scene, performing at venues including Paard van Troje, Asta, HaSchiBa Festival, and Bevrijdingsfestival. Winner of FunX Talentz 2006, he is also active as a workshop leader working with young musicians and community projects across the city. His performances combine strong energy with social engagement and personal storytelling.
Anne-Tjerk Mante — vocals, songwriting
Singer-songwriter Anne-Tjerk Mante presents his work in a playful and energetic performance style that moves between pop-rock, folk, spoken word, and contemporary classical influences. His songs explore themes such as the journey of life, the relationship between people and nature, and different forms of love. He was runner-up at the The Hague Song Contest 2021 with Dit is mijn Den Haag.
Tjebbe Borggreve:
Tjebbe Borggreve is a singer and rhythm guitarist who graduated as a vocalist from Codarts Rotterdam (Pop Department). Over the years, he has performed with several bands across the pop and country-rock scene, most notably the country-rock group The Spokane Chiefs.
Bandsessies — participating ensembles
This concert also features two bands from Bandsessies Den Haag, a long-running initiative supporting local musicians through rehearsals, coaching, and live performance opportunities:
The Electric Ants https://bandsessies.nl/artiesten/artist-the-electric-ants/
- Wouter van Gorkum — vocals, saxophone 🎤🎷
- Artur Huisman — drums 🥁
- Tjebbe Borggreve — bass, vocals 🎸🎤
- Pro Peters — guitar 🎸
- Martijn Schaepman — guitar, vocals 🎸🎤
Strong Resonance https://bandsessies.nl/artiesten/artist-strong-resonance/
- Rene Huntink — drums, vocals 🥁🎤
- Pro Peters — guitar 🎸
- Tjebbe Borggreve — bass, vocals 🎸🎤
- Martijn Schaepman — guitar, vocals 🎸🎤
Their participation reflects the project’s commitment to connecting community musicians with professional artists on one shared stage, creating a collaborative environment in which experience levels, musical styles, and artistic backgrounds meet in live performance.
Artistic context
This concert forms part of War – No More Troubles – Rock Music, within Music Connection Lab 2026, a programme that brings together professional musicians, emerging artists, and local ensembles from The Hague in a shared creative process. Through rehearsals, mentorship, and performance, the project highlights music as a space for dialogue, exchange, and collective expression in connection with organisations active in the peace movement.
