Gerard Beljon (born 16 April 1952, in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

) is a musician and composer from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, specialising in chamber and choral music with contemporary resonances. His works have been performed in Austria, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Russia and the United States.

Education

Beljon studied both lute and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

at the

Utrechts Conservatorium The Utrechts Conservatorium is a Conservatory of Music in Utrecht, Netherlands and part of the '' Utrecht School of the Arts'' (HKU). The conservatory opened in 1875 and is one of the eldest professional musical education institutes of the Netherl ...

and the

Royal Conservatory of The Hague The Royal Conservatoire ( nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium, KC) is a conservatoire in The Hague, providing higher education in music and dance. The conservatoire was founded by King William I in 1826, making it the oldest conservatoire in the Nether ...

. He studied composition under Carlos Michans and

Daan Manneke Daan Manneke (born 7 November 1939) is a Dutch composer and organist. Manneke was born in Kruiningen. He studied organ and composition from 1963 to 1967 at the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the N ...

Career

Beljon's musical career has been primarily devoted to composition, which he studied with Daan Manneke at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. According to

Donemus Donemus (compounded from Documentatiecentrum nederlandse muziek) is the Dutch institute dealing with the documentation of contemporary music composed in the Netherlands. Originally a publisher of scores, between 1960 and 2000 Donemus also publis ...

, the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

institute dealing with the documentation of contemporary music composed in the Netherlands, ''Clear and comprehensible forms and structures are an important basis for his work which combines innovative compositional and instrumental techniques that are characteristic of the notated music of the twentieth century, with influences from the world of pop music among others.'' He has written compositions for soloists and ensembles such as the Orkest de Volharding, the Amsterdam Quintet, The Amstel Saxophone Quartet, Nederlands Kamerkoor (Dutch Chamber Choir), the

Nieuw Ensemble The Nieuw Ensemble ( or ; English: New Ensemble) is a Dutch musical ensemble. It was founded in 1980 in Amsterdam. It has a unique instrumental structure, using plucked instruments such as mandolin, guitar and harp in combination with wind, str ...

, pianist Ralph van Raat, and the Calefax Rietkwintet. His works have been performed in Austria, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Russia, and the United States.

Theatre

Beljon worked as a composer on several theatre productions and wrote the children's opera ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2001).

Awards

* ''Aroma'' (1997) guitar and mandolin. This was awarded first prize for composition for contemporary music in Vienna in 2003.

Works

* ''Beat'' for piano * ''Heksenmuziek (Witch Music)'' (scene from ''Hansel and Gretel).'' * ''Herschepping'' (Re-creation), for Chamber Choir and Harp; based on poem ''Herschepping'' from

Gerrit Achterberg Gerrit Achterberg (20 May 1905 – 17 January 1962) was a Dutch poet. His early poetry concerned a desire to be united with a beloved in death. Achterberg was born in Nederlangbroek in the Netherlands as the third son of a family of eight ch ...

* ''Aroma'' (1997) for guitar and mandolin. * ''Beat'' (2003) for Piano Solo * ''Nachtzien'' (''Night show'') (2003) Nederlands Kamerkoor in

Beurs van Berlage The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam. It was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in par ...

in Amsterdam, 17 Dec 2003 * ''De tuin sneeuwt langzaam vol'' (''The garden slowly fills with snow'') (2003) Nederlands Kamerkoor in the

in Amsterdam, 17 Dec 2003 * ''Morgen'' (2004) for Soprano, Ensemble & Electronics * ''The Cry of the Peacocks,'' 2005, for chamber choir. Based on a poem by

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

(1879-1955). Written for the Nederlands Kamerkoor, first performance in Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in December 2005; latest performance by the Nederlands Studenten Kamerkoor in the

Amsterdam Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls i ...

on 5 Mar 2016. * ''Didgeridoo'' 2007 Chamber music for organ and saxophone quartet. * ''Sun'' (2007), first performed by the Limburgs Symfonie Orkest (Limburg Symphony Orchestra) at the

Muziekcentrum Vredenburg Muziekcentrum Vredenburg was a music venue in Utrecht, Netherlands with a capacity of 5,000 people. It was designed by Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger. The venue hosted concerts by many famous artists, spanning many different genres. The old bu ...

in Utrecht on 26 Mar 2007.

References

External links

''Beat'' played by the Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat.''Lamentation'' (2013), performed in St. Klara church, Nurnberg by the dutch Slotkoor, conducted by Fokko Oldenhuis.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beljoen, Gerard 1952 births Living people Dutch male classical composers Dutch classical composers Musicians from Utrecht (city) Conservatorium van Amsterdam alumni Royal Conservatory of The Hague alumni Utrecht School of the Arts alumni