Yoeri Albrecht (Amsterdam, 1967) joined De Balie as General & Artistic director in 2010.

After having studied History, Philosophy and International Law at Leiden University, Yoeri moved to Oxford to study European Politics. In Oxford he was taught by the likes of Isaiah Berlin, George Steiner, and Peter Pulzer. Quickly, Yoeri became junior dean at Queen’s College, teaching both history and philosophy.

During his studies, Yoeri started writing for Vrij Nederland, a well-known Dutch opinion magazine, and would continue to do so for fifteen years, his contributions ranging from interviews, columns and essays to pieces of investigative journalism. Over the years Yoeri extended his ways to bring stories to light, using film, theatre, books and radio, as well as television, to attract a wide and varied audience.

Under his supervision De Balie has grown from an Amsterdam-oriented debate center into a permanent international art festival. Nowadays De Balie is a widely-known, art-producing cultural institute that is still a home to intellectual dissidents and aspiring artists alike. Here Yoeri and his staff continue to find innovative ways to bring untold stories and unheard voices to the fore.

Beyond being director of De Balie, Yoeri is founder and board member of the European Press Prize, chair of media company Veronica and chairs the board of Wordt Vervolgd magazine (Amnesty International The Netherlands). He is a board member of the international investigative journalism organization Bellingcat, and he is currently also a member of the State Commission on the future of the Dutch public broadcasting services.