DCV 254 – Rieteke Hölscher – Etudes-Fantasie

Rieteke Hölscher (1969) is a Dutch composer and pianist. She studied piano both classical and jazz at the Hilversum (1992) and composition (2016) at the Utrecht Conservatory.

As a composer, Rieteke Hölscher is always looking for new connections, often combining contemporary music with education or different art forms. In 2018 she created 'Il Cibo per La Musica' for Youth Orchestra Bloembollenstreek, and in 2019 the project 'Disturbing Light', a composition for tape, live music and art video, performed by her own ensemble Cross Meeting. She also wrote 'Flarden' for sixteen bassoonists, which premiered in October 2021 - performed by a mix of (advanced) amateurs, conservatory students and professionals - during the international bassoon festival Bassoons for Future in Maastricht.
Her work is performed at home and abroad by renowned musicians such as the Groot Omroepkoor; the Utrecht Student Cantorij; Marcel Worms and Bram van Sambeek.

In her compositions Hölscher aims to achieve an unique sound with great accessibility, with the ideal to bridge the gap between music history, contemporary music and the audience. Her colorful music is best described as straight and emotional with lyrical melodic lines, attention for timbre and an original use of extended techniques. Rieteke has also a strong commitment to both audience and performers without making creative concessions.

Rieteke Hölscher (1969) studied piano classical music and jazz / pop at the conservatory of the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (1987-1992) with Frans van Dalen and Tine Schneider, also following masterclasses with Fania Chapiro, Frederic Meinders and Hans Broekman.

Three new chamber works by a Dutch composer Rieteke Holscher are to hear in a New Adventures program at the Beauforthuis on January 25.

About Aquatones: With Aquatones I wanted to write an empathetic piece, inspired by composers from the past. In addition, water – just like art – does not always have to be beautiful. For the Impressionists, water is usually a calm babbling stream, not waves crashing against the coastline like a tsunami.

Performance “de emotionele egel en andere natuurfenomenen”

"Creativity is an unconscious act of insanity, in a burst of which the truth is born. No matter how beautiful or disgusting it may seem to people far from madness, its value is beyond doubt, both for the author and for those able to sense its invisible beauty. After all, gratitude for endless trials and suffering brings joy and blissful emptiness… Being shocked by music is about pain turning into beauty and getting under your skin, taking away your breath; about everything stopping to move. I want to be scratched inside by sound and experience the fleeting, invisible beauty." - Maxim Shalygin

Education Michael has a degree in English Literature from the State University of New York. Despite having no formal music education, he has an active international career in several aspects of the music business.

Celia Swart (1994, NL) is a new music composer, saxophone player and visual artist. Growing up playing saxophone and piano, she found her love for composing.