Peter Rhodes on prison riots, peace talks and the enduring power of simplicity

Peter Rhodes on prison riots, peace talks and the enduring power of simplicity

I am reminded of a grave I once saw in a Lake District cemetery. Surrounded by stones bearing wordy carved epitaphs extolling every detail of the lives of those who had died, this stone was strikingly simple with just the person's name and only one other word: “Nurse.” It says so much.

Let's go all the way back to the beginning, because where does this Tilburg tradition come from? Not from the neighborhood in any case. "The original concept is Antwerp Sings", says Rob Jansen of the communications committee. "The founding fathers (Jan Melis, Hans Janssen and Paul Spapens) saw it there and brought it to Tilburg." With this year's edition, the circle is also nicely complete, because Tilburg Sings will take place again at the plac…