Jeroen van Veen (pianist)

Jeroen van Veen (born 2 May 1969 in Herwen en Aerdt, Gelderland) is a Dutch classical pianist and composer. As well as undertaking work as a soloist, he collaborates with other pianists, for example he has formed duos with his brother Maarten and, later, with his wife Sandra.

Short biography

Jeroen Van Veen studied at the Utrechts Conservatorium (HKU) with Alwin Bär and Håkon Austbø. Since 1988 he has played concerts and recitals throughout Europe and North America and has recorded over 190 CDs for Mirasound, Koch, Naxos, Brilliant Classics and his own label PIANO. Van Veen's compositions are mostly solo piano works and could be described as mostly minimal music. His latest recordings have also focused on minimal music, including a 9 CD Minimal Piano Collection box set, somewhat dominated by music of Philip Glass, the complete piano music of George Crumb and a collaboration on recording all Steve Reich's Chamber music.

Among other functions, Van Veen is the director of Van Veen Productions , Piano Mania , and the Simeon ten Holt Foundation . He is also artistic director of the Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition , based in Miami, where he and his brother Maarten van Veen were prize winners in 1995. In 2016 Van Veen received the NPO Radio 4 award; Van Veen was praised for his 'out of the box' programming and finding new ways to attract a new audience for classical music.

Extended biography

"Dutch pianist and composer Jeroen van Veen, the leading exponent of minimalism in Holland today, Alan Swanson (Fanfare)"

Jeroen Van Veen started playing the piano at the age of 7. He studied at the Utrechts Conservatorium with Alwin Bär and Håkon Austbö. In 1993 he passed the Performing Artists' Exam. Van Veen has played with orchestras conducted by Howard Williams (Adams), Péter Eötvös (Zimmermann) in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Vienna and Budapest and in the United States with Neal Stulberg (Mozart & Bartók) and Robert Craft (Stravinsky) He has played recitals in Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia & the USA.

Van Veen attended master classes with Claude Helffer, Hans-Peter & Volker Stenzl and Roberto Szidon. He was invited to several festivals, a.o. the Reder Piano Festival (1988), Festival der Kunsten in Bad Gleichenberg (1992), Wien Modern (1993), Holland Dance Festival (1998) Lek Art Festival (1996–2007). Van Veen recorded for major Dutch Radio- and Television companies like AVRO, NOS, IKON, NCRV, TROS/Internet, WTBC-TV & Radio (Florida, U.S.A.) and Moscow Television. In 1992, Van Veen recorded his first CD with his brother Maarten as the internationally recognized Piano duo Van Veen. In 1995 Piano duo Van Veen made their debut in the United States. They were prizewinners in the prestigious 4th International Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition in Miami, Florida. After this achievement they toured the United States and Canada many times. The documentary Two Pianos One Passion (nominated for an Emmy Award in 1996) documents them as a duo.

Besides performing, Jeroen is co-founder and artistic director of the International Student Piano Competition, which is held in Utrecht every two years. In 1995 Jeroen Van Veen founded Van Veen & Van Veen (Van Veen & Co.), a piano duo with Sandra Van Veen. As such, they mainly perform music for multiple pianos by the Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt. Furthermore, in 1999 Van Veen initiated a concert series Pianova in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Beside his career as a solo pianist Van Veen also participates in the following ensembles: Piano Ensemble, The International Piano Quartet, The Simeon Quartet, Piano Mania, DJ Piano and Jeroen van Veen & Friends.

The various compositions by Van Veen could be described as Minimal Music with different faces, crossovers to jazz, blues, soundscape, Avant-garde, techno, trance and pop music. Currently Van Veen is director of Van Veen Productions, Chairman of the Simeon ten Holt Foundation, Culemborg Cultural Foundation, Pianomania Foundation and artistic director of several music festivals in Culemborg, Utrecht and Veldhoven. He is active in the International Utrecht Student Piano Competition and the Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition. Over the last 25 years Van Veen recorded more than 100 CDs for several labels (Mirasound, Koch, Naxos, Brilliant Classics) and his own label PIANO.

The piano playing in Stravinsky's Les Noces surpassed that of the distinguished musicians in the composer's own recording according to The New York Times.[1] The recording of Erik Satie's music for piano four hands with Sandra van Veen was rated on Classics Today with 10 out of 10 for artistic quality and 10 out of 10 for sound quality and said it to be "...a must for Satie fans."[2]

Discography

Piece(s)/TitleRecord labelComposer(s)PerformersNumber of CDs
Minimal Multiple Piano CollectionBrilliant Classics CD 9171VariousJeroen van Veen & Friends11
Complete Multiple Piano Works (Canto Ostinato, Horizon, Lemniscaat, Incantatie IV, Meandres, Shadow nor Prey).Brilliant Classics CD 7795Simeon ten HoltPiano Ensemble: Irene Russo, Fred Oldenburg, Jeroen and Sandra van Veen11
Canto OstinatoBrilliant Classics CD 9261Simeon ten HoltPiano Ensemble: Irene Russo, Fred Oldenburg, Jeroen and Sandra van Veen2
Minimal Piano CollectionBrilliant Classics CD 8551VariousJeroen van Veen9
Tubular Bells, Part I, version for two pianos and two synthesizers and version for four grand pianosBrilliant CD 8812Mike OldfieldPiano Ensemble: Elizabeth & Marcel Bergmann, Sandra & Jeroen van Veen1
Complete works for piano four handsBrilliant Classics CD 9129Erik SatieJeroen & Sandra van Veen1
Pianoduo van VeenMirasoundVariousJeroen & Maarten van Veen1
Two Pianos, One PassionDranoffVariousJeroen & Maarten van Veen1
Oranje en de MuziekvanveenproductionsVariousa.o. Tamara Rumiantsev and Jeroen van Veen2
Les NocesKoch International Classics 7514Igor StravinskyPhilharmonia Orchestra, Simon Joly Chorus, Tristan Fry Percussion Ensemble, International Piano Quartet (Elisabeth, Marcel Bergmann and Jeroen, Maarten van Veen), Robert Craft1
Les NocesNaxos RecordsIgor StravinskyPhilharmonia Orchestra, Simon Joly Chorus, Tristan Fry Percussion Ensemble, International Piano Quartet (Elisabeth, Marcel Bergmann and Jeroen, Maarten van Veen), Robert Craft1
In naam van OranjeMomuVariousTamara Rumiantsev and Jeroen van Veen1

Produced at Van Veen Productions Label PIANO

Piece(s)/TitleRecord labelComposer(s)PerformersNumber of CDs
Canto OstinatoPP 9600Simeon ten HoltSandra & Jeroen van Veen1
Incantatie IVPP 9800Simeon ten HoltSandra & Jeroen van Veen and Tamara Rumiantsev2
Minimal Piano Works Volume IPP 9910VariousJeroen van Veen9
Canto Ostinato for two pianos and two marimbasPP 2010Simeon ten HoltSandra & Jeroen Van Veen (piano), Esther Doornink and Peter Elbertse (marimba)1
Minimal Piano Works Volume IIPP 2011VariousSandra & Jeroen van Veen, Elizabeth & Marcel Bergmann, Tamara Rumiantsev11
International Students Piano Competition, Live recording in UtrechtPP 2012Various1
Culemborg City SoundscapePP 2015Marcel Bergmann and Jeroen van VeenElbertse (percussion)1
Shadow nor Prey, Hymn to a great CityPP 2013Simeon ten Holt/Arvo PärtFred Oldenburg and Jeroen van Veen1
Love Me (participant in the Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest 2004)PP 2017Judith JobseJudith Jobse (vocals), Jeroen van Veen (piano)1
Chamber Orchestra of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society, playing Mozart, Piazolla, Tchaikovsky and morePP 2022VariousChamber Orchestra Novosibirsk1
Piano and Hangno labelPeter Elbertse and Jeroen van VeenPeter Elbertse (Hang) and Jeroen van Veen (piano)1

List of works

  • Culemborg City Soundscape, (2002) (on CD)
  • Weeshuis Soundscape (2005) (on tape)
  • Words on Kindness, for 2 pianos and 5 voices (2006) (premiered 2006)
  • 12 Minimal Preludes, BOOK I, (1999–2003) (on CD 8551) for piano
  • 12 Minimal Preludes, BOOK II, (2004–2006) (on CD 8551) for piano
  • In de Doelen, leadermuziek (2006) on DVD
  • Tango for Amalia, Alexia & Ariane (2007) (premiered 2007) for Piano four hands
  • Incanto nr 1 for two pianos (2011) on CD
  • Snake it easy for 6 pianos
  • Draughts for multiple pianos
  • "Novosibirsk Chamber Orchestra, A. Polishchuk with Jeroen van Veen (A piano quintet composition of Antonín Dvořák, arranged for piano and String Orchestra)
  • Pianomania, piano improvisations on 3 pianos.
  • "Minimal Preludes, Book III & Book IV" (2007–2013)
  • "NLXL" 2011
  • "Incanto" II, III & IV
  • "Slash" for Itzik Galili

Other official functions

  • Van Veen Productions, (1995-) director
  • International Students Piano Competition, Utrecht (1994-) artistic director
  • Lek Art Foundation, Culemborg (1994–2007) artistic director
  • Simeon ten Holt Foundation, Culemborg (2004-) chair
  • Culemborg Cultureel, Culemborg (2005–2007) chair
  • Ostinato Festival, Veldhoven (2006-) artistic director
  • Piano Mania Foundation, Culemborg (2006-) chair
  • Dranoff Two Piano Foundation Miami, Artistic Director development (2002-)

References

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