Michel van der Aa
b. 1970
Snapshot
Michel van der Aa is one of the most outstanding Dutch composers of his generation * has attracted attention above all for his imaginative music theatre works * music has expressive power and an idiomatic sense for the stage, combining sounds and scenic images in a play of changing perspectives * recent stage works show a successful involvement as a film and stage director as well as composer * after training as music recording engineer at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, studied composition with Diderik Wagenaar, Gilius van Bergeijk and Louis Andriessen * turned from constructivism of the ‘Hague school’ to a personal, more poetic and transparent style * completed a course in film directing at the New York Film Academy, and collaborated with film makers Peter Greenaway and Hal Hartley, and with choreographers including Philippe Blanchard * participated in the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab, an intensive course in stage direction, in 2007 * is programmed at leading international festivals for contemporary music in London, Huddersfield, Berlin, Donaueschingen, Paris, Warsaw, Los Angeles, Lucerne, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Brussels, Venice, Oslo, Budapest, Moscow, Zagreb and Perth * works played by renowned artists including conductors Peter Eötvös, Reinbert de Leeuw, Etienne Siebens, Ed Spanjaard, Roland Kluttig and ensembles like the Schönberg and Asko Ensemble, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Hilversum Radio Philharmonic, SWR Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Avanti!, musikFabrik and the Netherlands Opera * awarded the prestigious International Gaudeamus Prize 1999, the Vermeulen Prize 2004 (for his chamber opera One), a Grant by the Siemens Foundation and the Charlotte Köhler Prize (for his directing work and the interdisciplinary character of his oeuvre) in 2005, and the Paul Hindemith Prize 2006 * recordings on the Col Legno, Harmonia Mundi, Composer’s Voice, BVHaast, X-OR and VPRO Eigenwijs labels
Works by Michel van der Aa include:
Here Trilogy (2001–03) for soprano, chamber orchestra and soundtrack
Second Self (2004) for orchestra and soundtrack
Imprint (2005) for Baroque orchestra (or small orchestra)
After Life (2005–06) Opera
Up-close (2010) for solo cello, string ensemble and film
Looking Ahead: new 3D film opera, Sunken Garden, with libretto by David Mitchell, with performances next season by English National Opera at the Barbican Theatre in London (Apr 2013) and by Netherlands Opera at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam (Jun 2013)
New Video: View an interview with Michel van der Aa talking about fusing music, film and electronics.
New Video: View an interview with Michel van der Aa talking about fusing music, film and electronics.
"One of the most distinctive of the younger composers in Europe today. His ability to fuse music, text and visual images into a totally organic whole sets him apart from nearly all his contemporaries." — Andrew Clements, The Guardian
Also visit the Michel van der Aa website at www.vanderaa.net
Also visit the Michel van der Aa website at www.vanderaa.net
Mailing List
Sign up for news updates and offers via email
SIGN UP
