Premiere of Consecuencias

Yesterday I had a first run-through with Harmen de Boer, my friend and colleague at both the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam,  of the clarinet-version of Consecuencias. A very promising and interesting run-through. He will be premiering it with the Nostos String Quartet at the Lago@Splendor concert on March 28, 2016, at…

Last Monday Marijn Migchielsen and Rommert Groenhof premiered my TIEF! for two contrabass trombones at Marijn’s Masters Exam at Codarts Rotterdam, the Netherlands. And I could not be there….. (family reasons) I wrote the piece especially for this occasion. To miss one of the most outstanding bass trombone performances ever (at least that is what…

Just a block away from London’s Houses of Parliament stands St. John’s Smith Square, a church with quite a history. Built in 1710 it burnt down in 1742, was rebuilt and hit by lightning in 1815, rose from the ashes again and offered room in the interbellum to a boy’s choir with Benjamin Britten one…

The Netherlands Wind Ensemble has played a major role in my life for over 30 years. I have been extremely lucky performing with this splendid group and then also being invited to arrange for the ensemble. I owe my performing colleagues, staff members, production crew and directors Bart Schneemann and Niek Wijns so much… Now…

To my great delight my dear friend Jacob TV (or in full Jacob ter Veldhuis) called me two weeks ago to invite me and my wife Saskia to a Gala Night at the occasion of the BUMA Awards: he is the first classical (contemporary) composer to win the prestigious BUMA Classical Award. And very well…

I had the pleasure and honor to be at all the saxophone exams at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam this summer (not so surprising as I am teaching there…). The saxophone class lead by my dear friend Arno Bornkamp is of amazing variety and artistry. On Friday the 3rd of June three members of the Ebonit…