A soothing study session: Students cram in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw as musicians play

AMSTERDAM (AP) — From the stage of Amsterdam's historic concert hall, violinist Hyunjin Cho and cellist Efstratia Chaloulakou look out over row after row of young faces illuminated by the glow of laptop screens.

The plush red seats of the Concertgebouw's main auditorium are occupied by students cramming for upcoming exams and finishing dissertations as classical music fills the hall.

The students aren’t being rude by ignoring the musicians. At this event, they’re meant to be studying — and the music is intended to assist rather than distract them.

The study sessions were first organized during the COVID-19 pandemic by Entree, the youth association of the Concertgebouw, to help students improve their concentration and introduce them to the charms of classical music.

They have been a hit ever since.

During a recent session, musicians played German composer Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D, some Handel and Schubert and even a little movie music from Studio Ghibli animation films for good measure. The sounds filled a space whose walls are decorated with the gilded names of famous composers from Ravel to Mahler, Wagner to Mozart.

The music helped 21-year-old Kyra Mulder focus on a project for her occupational therapy degree at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

“It’s actually very calming and helping in concentrating on the work that we have to do, which is something that surprises me because normally I don’t really listen to classical music," Mulder said. “So that’s a new experience for me.”

As the musicians played, more students wandered into the concert hall, some clutching cups of coffee along with their computers and books that they proceeded to perch on their laps. Signs advertise the password of the venue's free Wi-Fi network. A ticket for the session is just 2.50 euros ($2.85).

“It’s one of the many ways to welcome younger audiences to the Concertgebouw,” said the venue’s general director, Simon Reinink. “And it’s such an inspiring place to study with great music in this wonderful, beautiful environment."

He hopes the event will help visitors study but also inspire a new generation to appreciate classical music and return for more.

“It is one of ways to more or less seduce younger audiences to discover the Concertgebouw and hopefully they will be enthusiastic and ... they will come back,” Reinink said.

Professor Bas Bloem, a neurologist at the Radboud University Medical Center in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, says that while music can disturb some people's concentration, it can help others to focus.

“So it’s not a one size fits all. And I don’t think it’s been well researched, but I think the reason why music in the background can be so soothing almost, is that it creates a state of flow,” he told The Associated Press.

"And I think music in the background can help you to reach a state of flow. And everybody knows when you reach a state of flow, you can go on endlessly and be enormously productive.”

Medicine student Thijmen Broekman said that the music combined with just being somewhere different from where he usually studies helped him enjoy learning and music at the same time. He said he wasn't distracted by listening to music and studying at the same time.

“It’s a really quiet environment and nice, quiet music," Broekman said. “So that helps me to concentrate.”

Violinist Hyunjin Cho and cellist Efstratia Chaloulakou perform for students studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Students use by their laptops while studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Violinist Hyunjin Cho, left, and cellist Efstratia Chaloulakou perform for students studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Students use their laptops while studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Students use their laptops while studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Violinist Hyunjin Cho and cellist Efstratia Chaloulakou perform for students studying with music at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)