biography

Klaas ten Holt was born in Amsterdam on june 3rd 1960.

Education

He studied composition with Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam conservatory and with Theo Loevendie at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he graduated in 1995.

Occupations

As a guitarist Ten Holt played in Martin van Duynhoven's "Music & Drums" ensemble of contemporary improvised music, Tetzepi bigband, with reed-quintet Calefax and with Junkie XL. His compositions have been performed in Holland by the Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Radio Chamber Orchestra, The Dutch Ballet Orchestra, The Metropole Orchestra, The Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra, The Mondriaan String Quartet, Reed Quintet Calefax and the Doelen Ensemble. Klaas ten Holt is vice-chaiman of the Dutch composers association Componisten 96. Most of his work is published with Donemus.

Compositions

Klaas ten Holt's music looks misleadingly uncomplicated at first sight. There seems to be a transparant musical notation and a tendency towards tonality. Behind all this hide complex polyrhythmical structures, layers of overtones, halftone techniques and a very personal aesthetic of sound. Klaas ten Holt's music has been called theatrical, which may acount for his interst in vocal music (two opera's, two dramatic monologues, song-cycles) and concerto's (Concerto for violin and orchestra, Concerto for three bells, viola and orchestra).

Awards

For his score for the Dutch television drama series Zwarte Sneeuw he recieved the incentive prize from the Europäische Filmmusik Biennale in Bonn, in june 1997.

picture: keke keukelaar