Lincoln on Noordam

HOLLAND America Line has expanded its music offering on the Noordam, introducing the Lincoln Center Stage program over the weekend.

The partnership with the “world’s leading performing arts centre”, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, offers live chamber music performances featuring classically trained violinists, violists, cellists and pianists.

Speaking to CW during a visit to Australia last week, Bill Prince, vp entertainment Holland America Line, said the initiative was aimed at creating “the best classical music programming at sea”. Originally debuted on

Koningsdam in 2016, the program is now across seven ships and was introduced on

Noordam while it was en route down under.

“It’s a chamber ensemble of five people of four strings and a pianist and they occupy their own space on board, so they have their own chamber music mini-recital hall on board the ship and we present three performances a day,” Prince explained.

MEANWHILE, HAL has added Seattle chef Ethan Stowell to its Culinary Council.

Several venues will feature menu items from Stowell, including New York Pizza, and in Lido Market the Distant Lands Italian station will be revamped with the addition of seven tossed salads at the Wild Harvest station.

A Stowell-developed signature appetizer and main course also will be featured on the Culinary Council menu in the dining room one evening on each cruise.