Green Pilot Tours

Belgium · The Netherlands · Sweden | 2–11 May 2025

Tour dates & venues
- 2 May – Ha Concerts, Ghent (BE): children’s concert + evening concert
- 3 May – Paradox, Tilburg (NL)
- 5 May – Victoria Teatern, Malmö (SE)
- 6 May – Jazz i Halmstad, Halmstad (SE)
- 7 May – Musik i Lerum, Lerum (SE)
- 8 May – Klubb Impuls, Gothenburg (SE)
- 10 May – BIMHUIS, Amsterdam (NL)
- 11 May – Arts Centre NONA, Mechelen (BE)

House of Wu Fei is a commission by Ha Concerts, led by Chinese-American guzheng player and composer Wu Fei, and featuring Dijf Sanders (sampling & electronics), Louise Van den Heuvel (bass) and Simon Segers (drums & percussion). Thanks to the EJN Green Pilot Tour support, the ensemble undertook an eight-date tour across Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, in collaboration with EJN members Arts Centre NONA, BIMHUIS and Knutpunkt.

Originally, the intention was to organise the tour entirely by train. However, practical constraints quickly emerged. The venues were spread over long distances, and the guzheng, measuring over two metres in length, made rail travel unrealistic. After discussions with the musicians, the organisers opted for a single van solution, transporting the full backline throughout the tour.

To reduce environmental impact, the tour used a new, fuel-efficient van meeting the latest Euro emission standards, driven at a moderate speed (100–110 km/h, including on German motorways) to minimise fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. Carrying the full backline also avoided multiple rental transports at each venue, reducing additional logistics and costs.

Sustainability choices extended to daily practices: the band followed a vegetarian diet, used reusable water bottles, and prioritised locally sourced products whenever possible. All venues supported these efforts and provided high-quality vegetarian meals throughout the tour.

Each concert took place in a different context — from clubs and theatres to a library — and was introduced by the local programmer, who highlighted the Green Pilot Tour framework. Wu Fei also addressed the audience directly, explaining how the tour was made possible through EJN support. The project’s title, Tides and Time, reflects on the ever-evolving planet and the environmental challenges it faces, themes that were made particularly accessible during the opening participatory children’s concert.

Beyond environmental considerations, the tour demonstrated another key aspect of sustainability: fair working conditions. The Green Pilot Tour support, combined with additional funding from the Flemish government, made it possible to offer musicians decent fees and to present a relatively new project in high-profile venues, allowing the music and the ensemble to grow stronger night after night.

This Green Pilot Tour showed that sustainable touring is often about informed compromise, careful planning and transparency — balancing ecological responsibility, artistic needs and fair labour practices to build a truly sustainable cultural ecosystem.

Video
https://www.youtube.com/live/5CNWJXCjrK4?si=EUFLa4bv11sbsQp4

Websites
https://www.haconcerts.be/en/ourstory/outreach/house-of-wu-fei-looking-back-on-their-green-pilot-tour
https://www.haconcerts.be/en/ourstory/outreach/house-of-wu-fei-with-tides-of-time-a-ha-creation
https://www.haconcerts.be/en/concert-calendar/concerts/house-of-wu-fei-tides-and-time-02-05-25
https://www.haconcerts.be/en/concert-calendar/concerts/tiny-tunes-house-of-wu-fei-02-05-25