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Composer Laureate

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Anne-Maartje Lemereis will be the Composer Laureate for two years from 2024. She is the fifth composer to hold this national office after Martin Fondse (2022-2023), Calliope Tsoupaki (2018-2021), Mayke Nas (2016-2018) and Willem Jeths (2014-2016). The Composer of the Fatherlands is an initiative of Buma Cultuur that has given the musical community a figurehead for contemporary Dutch music. The Composer Laureate is appointed by an independent jury.

Controversial composer

The Componist des Vaderlands is a controversial composer. As a passionate ambassador, the composer stands up for the interests of all those involved in the life of music and enters into dialogue with fellow composers, musicians, theatre directors, concertgoers, record companies, music teachers, politicians and program makers on radio and TV.

The Componist des Vaderlands performs throughout the country: for introductions and interviews, and to collaborate with venues, ensembles, orchestras and festivals. Keep an eye on the website and social media of the Componist des Vaderlands for current and coming performances.

Martin Fondse, Componist des Vaderlands 2022 and 2023

Martin Fondse was Composer Laureate for two years from January 2022 to the end of 2023. His ambition was to connect all walks of life with music. He is a man of decisiveness, and will therefore do everything he can to make this happen. “I will do everything I can to make it available to the less fortunate among us. I do think that if you have the ambition to connect, then it should happen and show that it is, or can be, for everyone, that everyone belongs.”

Calliope Tsoupaki, Componist des Vaderlands from 2018 to 2021

Calliope, voorganger Componist des Vaderlands

Calliope Tsoupaki was Componist des Vaderlands from 2018 to 2021, a year longer than the standard period of two years because corona asked for adjustment. For three years she was the figurehead of new Dutch music. She saw it as her most important task to make the composer’s craft more visible to a wide audience. “We don’t work introverted in a back room. We are flesh and blood people. We have a craft that has existed for centuries and will continue to exist.” She acted as an ambassador and talked to fellow composers, musicians, programmers, concertgoers, politicians and program makers on radio and TV.

Mayke Nas, Componist des Vaderlands from 2016 to 2018

Mayke Nas, voorganger Componist des Vaderlands

Mayke Nas was Componist des Vaderlands from 2016 to 2018. Mayke Nas at the start of her role: “On the one hand, composing means toiling, experimenting, making mistakes and starting over. On the other hand, it’s fun. Music is a game. With sounds, notes, instruments, audience and acoustics. I can jump wildly when I hear how a composer has managed to cast new sounds in new forms. I approach every piece that I write as a new adventure and that is how I approach my interpretation of Componist des Vaderlands.”

Willem Jeths, Componist des Vaderlands from 2014 to 2016

Willem Jeths, voorganger Componist des Vaderlands

On November 28, 2014, Willem Jeths was appointed Componist des Vaderlands during the Buma Classical Convention in TivoliVredenburg. In the two years that followed, he took every opportunity to present himself as an ambassador for new Dutch music. He took his students from the Amsterdam Conservatory to Oerol to draw attention to the youngest generation of composers there. He showed highlights from our 20th and 21st-century musical heritage in ‘De schatkamer van Willem Jeths’ (available monthly at NTR Podium). His teachers Tristan Keuris, Hans Kox, Daniël Ruyneman, Elisabeth Kuyper, Rob Zuidam, Jacob ter Veldhuis and many others, were in his radio column.

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