The short answer
Choose the Vitrine Kernselectie (seven fixed ensembles, prices from €900) when you want certainty and already know the mood: you book a proven package with a recognisable identity. Choose Vitrine Op Maat (€400 per musician) when your event calls for a unique line-up, specific repertoire or an unusual setting. Not sure? The packages combine perfectly within a single event.
Two packages, one quality standard
First what both packages share, because that's where the choice begins: the same professional musicians, the same contract security, the same guidance from a single point of contact, and the same transparent quote within 24 hours. So you're not choosing between "good" and "better" — you're choosing between two routes to the same level.
The Kernselectie: proven packages
The Vitrine Kernselectie comprises seven fixed ensembles — from the Desguin Kwartet to DJ Stecks — each with a recognisable artistic identity, fixed entry prices, and years of stage experience in exactly this format. The big advantages: you know exactly what you're getting in advance (there's video and audio material of every ensemble), the prices are simply on the pricing page, and the ensembles are rehearsed together as a group — not a one-off gathering, but a band with its own sound. For most weddings, corporate events and parties, this is the logical route.
Op Maat: a concept that exists only for you
The Vitrine Op Maat doesn't start from an existing ensemble but from your event. Reinout Pauwels puts together a line-up from top musicians from his concert practice — at a transparent rate of €400 per musician — tailored to your wishes, venue and audience. This is the right route when you're looking for something that doesn't fit a catalogue: a specific line-up (think a cello-harp duo for an intimate ceremony), repertoire with personal meaning, a musical identity for your organisation, or a setting where standard packages don't work.
| Kernselectie | Op Maat | |
|---|---|---|
| Offering | 7 fixed ensembles | Unique line-up per event |
| Price | Fixed entry prices (from €900) | €400 per musician |
| Listen in advance | Video and audio per ensemble | Advisory conversation + references |
| Strongest for | Proven mood, quick certainty | Unique repertoire, unusual setting |
| Booking speed | Directly bookable | After advisory conversation and quote |
The four decision questions
- Do you already know the mood you're looking for — and does it exist in the Kernselectie? Yes: Kernselectie. The seven ensembles together cover the vast majority of demand.
- Does your event have a line-up or repertoire requirement that fits nowhere in the offering? Then Op Maat isn't the luxury option but the only correct one.
- How important is being able to see and hear in advance what you're booking? With the Kernselectie you watch videos of the exact package coming to play; with Op Maat you trust the curation — with an advisory conversation and detailed quote before you decide.
- What does your budget say? The routes are honestly comparable: a four-musician ceremony ensemble costs €1,600 via Op Maat (4 × €400); the Desguin Kwartet's ceremony package starts from €1,650. The price difference is therefore rarely decisive — the nature of your event is.
The third way: combining
The packages don't exclude each other. A frequently chosen structure: an Op Maat ensemble for the most personal moment of the day (the ceremony), followed by Kernselectie ensembles for the reception, dinner and party. That way, the moment that needs to be unique gets a unique concept, and the moments that mainly need to be good get a proven package. In Scenario A on the pricing page, you can see what that looks like budget-wise.
Practical advice from ReinoutNever start with the package, start with the event. In the first conversation I don't ask "do you want Kernselectie or Op Maat?" but "what does this day need to become?" — the answer to that question naturally points to the package. And more often than people think, that answer is: both.
For organisations: the ongoing partnership
For companies, boards and organisations with recurring events, Op Maat has an extra dimension: a fixed musical partner. Rather than choosing anew for each event, you build a musical thread across your events with De Muziekvitrine — from background music at a product launch to a complete musical identity, optionally within a framework agreement. The consultancy side of that is on the Op Maat page; for one-off corporate events, the complete corporate event guide remains the starting point.
Still weighing something broader?
If you're not torn between our packages but between an agency and searching yourself, first read via an agency or directly with the band. And what the guidance in both packages actually involves is covered in what is a music consultant. Simply calling to talk it through is of course also an option — the first conversation is free and without obligation.