Catching up 1

It is obvious that I have a great love for the Iberian peninsula, its cultures and its languages. I decided to translate that love into a cycle of 25 poems for soprano saxophone and choir in the 5 largest languages of Iberia. I am now halfway this project called ‘The Iberian Treasure’. I started with…

Last Thursday 1st of September 2022 I drove to a small town in Germany called Oelde to witness the premiere of the ‘four saxes plus symphony orchestra’ version of three Ciudades (Córdoba, Sarajevo and Addis Ababa). Performed by the wonderful Xenon Quartet and the Nord West Deutsche Phiharmonie in an open air venue in a…

One of the finest musicians I ever worked with is hornplayer Ron Schaaper (Residentie Orchestra The Hague; Netherlands Wind Ensemble). He also plays some lovely guitar and sings wonderfully, a typical specimen of a very handy and naturally gifted musician. (with a good sense of humor) Always wanted to write something for him and two…

Van de oude binnenstad van Porto naar het plaatselijke conservatorium, de Escola Superior de Música e das Artes (kortweg ESMAE) is het een hele klim, maar de wandeling is zeer de moeite waard. De weg leidt van de oever van de Douro omhoog via trappen, en pleinen vol prachtige panden, gedecoreerd met traditionele azuléjos, geglazuurde…

In the summer of 2018 Zagreb (Croatia) hosted the World Saxophone Congress and there a longstanding wish came true: the premiere of a (substantial) concerto for alto saxophone and symphony orchestra written for my dear friend for over 35 years: Arno Bornkamp. A legend by himself and without doubt one of the greatest virtuosos and…

When in Porto last week I got a phone call from clarinettist Harmen de Boer. He asked me if I would be interested writing a solo piece for clarinet for the upcoming https://www.facebook.com/klarinetfestival in the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw aan het IJ as he is co-hosting this huge festival. Did not take me too long to answer…