Dear friends and music enthusiasts,
I hope this post finds you well. Today, I am thrilled to share some incredibly special news with you, something that has been brewing for years if not decades, is soon about to come out. Like a bottle of a good vine stored deep in the cellar for the special occasions, I have been keeping some old compositions hidden away for a long time waiting for the right moment to pull the cork out. And that moment has come.
š¶ A Musical Milestone š¶
On the October 7th, I am playing at the Sterk Staeltje Solaes Festival in Middelharnis, and it is the perfect occasion to celebrate several remarkable firsts:
1. Premiering My Own Instrumental Pieces: For the very first time, I'll be standing on stage with my own original instrumental compositions. These pieces have been my musical companions for a while now, but have never seen the light (or the sound) of the day. On the coming Saturday they finally will.
2. A Dreamy Premiere: People often say that my instrumental music is "dreamy" and "film like". I admit, I do let the melody and harmony evolve on their own pace. In the time and place we live in, where the threshold of attention is high, many will find it difficult to find the peace within and let the slower musical pieces "get to the point". However...
On Saturday I will perform a few 20 minutes lying-down concerts. (Let me point out the obvious; I will be sitting the audience will be lying down.) This will the perfect setting for the (I dare say so) ethereal character of these musical pieces because they all came to existence from a state of silence (more about that some other time). So when the audience is lying down with their eyes closed, and the concert begins with silence, every note and every musical movement will matter and so I hope the pieces will come across in the way they have been intended. I almost see this as some kind of guided meditating session and I am so curious to see what will exactly happen. Before you come in front of the audience you actually never know...
3. A Debut Performance on My Beloved Island: This event holds an even more special meaning because it marks my first performance on the beautiful island I now call home. The serene surroundings and the warm embrace of the community have made this place truly special to me. The Sterk Staeltje Solaes Festival offers a perfect opportunity to bring my music to the island that has already given me so much.
Coincidence?
The way how I got to be invited to play on the Festival was rather coincidental, but it is one of these situations when it's difficult to believe that it's all just a coincidence.
I am grateful to Sterk Staeltje Solaes Festival for offering me the opportunity to show my music in the setting that will help it to come to it's best. Big thanks especially to Jaap Reedijk for putting this all into motion.