Royal Conservatoire The Hague

ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE THE HAGUE (PARTNER)

Studying at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague means studying at a music institute which stands for the highest quality of education; one in which leading international musicians are associated as teachers, and where tradition and craftsmanship are inextricably entwined with experimentation and innovation. The primary objective of the Royale Conservatoire is to train young talented musicians to the highest level of artistry and versatility within the powerful triangle of elements that forms the DNA of the Institute: Education – Research – Production. The Royal Conservatoire has 3 „creative departments“: the composition department, the sonology department and the Art Science department. When taken together the Conservatoire has one of the biggest departments with a creative and composition focus in Europe.

MARTIN PRACHL (PROJECT LEADER)

Martin Prchal is vice-principal at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, the Netherlands, with responsibilities for curriculum development, quality assurance and international relations. Trained as a musician of Czech origin, he holds teaching and solo diplomas (violoncello) and a MA in musicology. In his previous position as Chief Executive of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), Martin developed a substantial expertise on EU project management through his involvement in several music projects in various EU programmes and on the implications of the Bologna Process on higher music education in Europe. Currently he is also chair of the board of MusiQuE – Music Quality Enhancement, a European-level Foundation for Quality Enhancement and Accreditation in Higher Music Education registered on EQAR.

PROF. MARTIJN PADDING

Martijn Padding (*1956) has a fascination for transparency and contradictions between the logical and the illogical. In his work he looks for subtlety rather than the grand gesture. Although his pieces often take their cue from a technical musical starting point, his work increasingly contains a theatrical element. In his recent work, his characteristic angularity and concise harmonically structured language are less prominent. His aesthetic recognises no hierarchy among modernist elements, influences from pop culture or historical classical principles, for example. Padding‘s work has been played at important national and international venues and festivals by leading soloists, ensembles, orchestras and opera companies such as Asko|Schönberg, Bang on a Can All Stars, Ives Ensemble, LOOS, Ereprijs, Anima Eterna, NAP, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, Veenfabriek, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera of the Netherlands, Gerard Bouwhuis, Marco Blaauw, Jörgen van Rijen, Claron McFadden, Jean- Guihen Queyras and many others.

In 2009 he won the International Rostrum of Composers with his First Harmonium Concerto. In 2011 he received the Edison Klassiek prize for the CD Three Concerti performed by Asko|Schönberg. Recently was announced that He will receive the Dutch Johan Wagenaar Prize 2016 for his complete oeuvre. Padding is also the head of the Composition department of the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.

ERIKA BORDON

Erika Bordon (1986) is a violinist/concert producer from Aosta (Italy) based in the Netherlands. She studied violin in Utrecht where she received her Bachelor and Master degree. Erika has been playing in several orchestras under the baton of amongst others Gianandrea Noseda, Edo de Waart, Martin Brabbins and Kristof Penderecki.She also has an extensive experience as ensemble player with a focus on the contemporary repertoire. In 2016 she co-founded the string quartet Nanna. Besides playing the violin she also works as producer and coordinator of the Composition Department and the Institute of Sonology at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Since 2013 she also has been active as freelance producer and worked for several ensembles and festivals under the name Bordon Music Management.

PARTICIPANTS

Julian Maple Oliveira (student)

Born in São Paulo-Brazil in 1993, Julian Maple-Oliveira studied Music Composition with enfaces in Electroacoustic Composition by the São Paulo State University (Unesp) with Alexandre Lunsqui and Flo Menezes and at the “Ecole d’Art Américaine de Fontainebleau” with François Paris and Allain Gaussin. His production includes, mostly, works for acoustic instruments with the use of electronic means. He has received prizes and mentions for his works, including, among others, “Honorary Mention” in the “Concours International de Composition Electroacoustique de Monaco – CICEM 2016”, the “FUNARTE” Prize in Contemporary Classical Music in 2014 and the Second and Third Prizes in the “MUSICACOUSTICA INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION – BEIJING 2017”. Julian is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Music Composition at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, Netherlands.

Bethan Morgan Williams (student)

Wesley Troeger (student)

Sara Zamboni (student)

Sara Zamboni (1990) is an Italian composer and pianist based in The Hague, the Netherlands. She graduated cum laude for her Classical Piano MA at the „Luca Marenzio“ Conservatory of Darfo and Brescia (Italy) under the teachings of Andrea Rebaudengo and Marina Baudoux. The topic of her thesis was „The piano music of Béla Bartók and the rediscovery of the popular element“.  She moved to the Netherlands where she graduated for her BA & MA in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague under the guidance of Martijn Padding and Calliope Tsoupaki. Parallelly, she studied modern piano and chamber music repertoire with Gerard Bouwhuis and attended courses at the Institute of Sonology such as ‚Composing in the Analogue Studio‘ held by Kees Tazelaar and ‚Audio Engineering in Electronic Music‘ with Paul Jeukendrup.

Her composition projects encompass instrumental works, electronic music and combinations for various destinations, privileging live performances in theatres and concert halls. Currently, she is focused on chamber music projects, music for contemporary dance performances and music theatre. Her compositions have been performed in the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, the Republic of North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Italy and China.

She manages her own studio for composition and electronic music production. She also works as a piano accompanist for Modern Dance classes at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.

More info: www.sarazambonimusic.com