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Biography

I was born in Utrecht in 1952 and studied lute and guitar at the conservatories of Utrecht and The Hague.
I've always been composing, but that really started to take shape during the inspiring lessons of Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

For me, the most important drivers for composing are communication and emotion. I want everyone to feel what I am talking about in a composition. That is why I love to write for the human voice.
I also feel at home in folk music where emotion and musical energy often go hand in hand. And I'm excited about combining Eastern and Western instruments and techniques in my latest works.
Like many people, I am touched by the spirit of the times with its terrorism and the refugee issue in Europe and you can hear that resounding in my recent works.

I wrote many compositions for chamber choirs like the Nederlands Kamerkoor, but also the children's opera Hans en Grietje with the Nieuw Ensemble, a tango for accordion duo Toeac and the rhythmic 'Beat' for pianist Ralph van Raat.