Since I was 2 years old I felt the urge to 'conduct'. In fact I did: I turned on the radio and started beating time. I never stopped since, really.
Al through my childhood I unconsciously put musical form into gesture. In secondary school I was allowed to conduct the school orchestra. As a music student I studied choir direction and conducted an amateur mixed choir in Rotterdam Slinge and a children's choir in Arnhem. |
From 1980-1990 I conducted a vocal ensemble called Minimusica. The reperoire ranged from early renaissance to contemporary repertoire. Though amateur singers they reached a fairly high standard. They even managed to sing Italian madrigals, Poulenc songs, Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Handel's Messiah and J.S. Bach's Weihnachts oratorio (the last two works accompanied by a Dutch Baroque Orchestra Florilegium Musicum. We toured the Czech Republic, Germany and England.
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In 1995 the Egidius Kwartet was founded. Right from the beginning I was apart from being the countertenor of that quartet also in charge as musical leader. As of 2005 I became the official 'aristic leader'. The first Egidius College , a substantial enlargement of the quartet, was established for the performance of the Missa Cecilam Cantate by Gheerkin de Hondt (16th century) and I took up conducting again. With the undertaking in 2009 of a big project around the 6 Leiden Choirbooks, often sung by a big group of singers, under the name Egidius College, it was evident that I had to conduct more and more. Much to my pleasure.
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Since 2007 my conducting activities increased more and more. In all sorts of repertoire and in unexpected places.
I became a regular guest conducor in the festival of Ton Koopman, Itinéraire Baroque. Annualy alternating Ton and I conduct the Jeune Choeur de Dordogne as the opening of the Itinéraire season in spring. I've conducted a variety of works: Motets by Cozzolani, works by Pergolesi, an opera pastiche based on comédie ballets by Lully and the opera Orfeo by Telemann. In 2014 we did Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) with Johannette Zomer in the title-role. Click 'next' button, below, to read more |