The Young Composers Meeting

Today, I have a rather exciting blog to share with you. Along with the public release of Changing with the Tide, I am sharing my experience at the Young Composers Meeting with Orkest De Ereprijs in February. Consider this my fun tell-all or bragging session over how amazing this experience was.

On the day we arrived in Apeldoorn, we received the unfortunate news that one of the saxophone players, Erik-Jan, had suddenly passed. However, the ensemble decided to continue with the meeting, even while processing the loss in their musical family.  I, like many of the composers, decided to adapt our pieces to work with the new instrumentation. For me, this was not a difficult task. It was more of a challenge in creativity. Where could I redistribute an alto saxophone part? It won’t have the same sound, but which instrument has a similar presence?

I had my rehearsal with the ensemble on the first full day of the week. We rehearsed with the revised version of my piece. And since the ensemble worked so well together, I had a lot of time to play around with the sound during rehearsal. We spent time testing out mutes, changing octaves and dynamics around to better fit the space and the chemistry of the ensemble. The conductor, Gregory Charette, and senior composer, Tansy Davis, were a great resource during this process. Ready to give advice and help me get the sound I was looking for.

Throughout the rest of the week, I had lessons with the senior composers Richard Ayres, Tansy Davis (as mentioned above), Wilburt Bulsink, and Yanis Kyriakides. Each was so unique in their teaching style, and I was able to learn new things about my music (and myself) from each of them. Between the one-on-one sessions and group lectures, I was very inspired by these wonderful minds.

The most important thing, and personally the most valuable, was the community of musicians I got to be a part of. I have wonderful memories of spending time with my fellow young composers. We had so much fun discussing our different cultures and sharing our views on contemporary music. Our dialogue was so intellectually interesting. I am so grateful to have met such beautiful and inspiring people.

Our final concert was the culmination of the private concert of all the young composers’ pieces. On a very emotional night for the ensemble, their first performance without Erik-Jan, they played with passion and musicality. I felt so honored to not only have a piece be played but to be programmed next to these amazingly talented composers. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Now that my Ted Talk is over, I’d like to share without the recording of Changing with the Tide performed by the Orkest de Ereprijs at the 31st Young Composers Meeting. You can listen using the links below.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading and for your unwavering support. It means so much to me.

Until next time,

Rita Veneziale

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