Russian embroidery for two titan composers featured on the program of the USConcert orchestra.

The subject of Russia is of course a sensitive and tough subject to invoke in this day and age. Alas, such was my task to design the promotional material for a concert series featuring only Russian composers. Luckily, the world has moved on from condemning every and all notion of Russian heritage – after all, especially Shostakovich was famously critical of the Russian regimes in his lifetime. Music, especially that written by people that have no ties to the current situation involving Russia, should sound freely. And so too, I figured, should other cultural Russian heritage be able to exist outside of contemporary constraints. Hence, my choice for embroidery inspired by historic Russian garments to combine the roots of the music on the program and the beautiful contrast between the two composers.

In 2023 I was approached by Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, the municipal concert hall of Nijmegen, to write a piece for solo piano to celebrate the centennial celebration of the Radboud University in Nijmegen. The piece was then gifted to the university by the concert hall to the university at the Dies Natalis celebrations. The piece was premiered by Seán Morgan Rooney at the Concertgebouw de Vereeniging with the King of The Netherlands in attendance. Later, the piece was performed again at the university itself.

The piece’s title, Facultas, translates to a myriad of words, amongst which: ability, opportunity and possibility, all words that resonate with the Radboud University and core values to many students pursuing an academic career. The piece translates those values to music through energetic changes throughout the musical structure: sudden tempo changes, a wide ambitus across the piano’s keyboard and wildly varying dynamics, all things that relate to an academic career.

For the spring concert of the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert (Utrecht Student Orchestra) I designed the promotion material. The program includes the fifth symphony by Nielsen and the sixth symphony by Tchaikovsky, the latter of which being surrounded in controversy and speculations around Tchaikovsky’s death.

The visual consists of Tchaikovsky’s death mask, surrounded by rocks resembling the material used for the mask. As if the mask is floating in a timeless and weightless space, just like his last symphony contains everything Tchaikovsky wanted to say, and yet there’s no definite answer to what he was actually saying.

For Stichting LustrumOpera’s production of Doctor Atomic (Adams) I created visual stage projections in accordance with director Wim Trompert’s vision.

Photos: Ben van Duin & Marco Borggreve
directed by Wim Trompert
Stage design by Eric Goossens
Costumes by Martijn Kramp

For the Nederlands Studenten Kamerorkest (Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra) I designed the visuals for their 2023 tour, dubbed “Naar de natuur”, into nature, inspired by the 20th century Jugendstil movement. The designs feature variation of abstract flowers and stalks, in a mix of artificial and natural colors.

For the Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij (USCantorij) I photographed and designed the promotional work for their “Paradijsvogels” (Birds of Paradise) concerts.

For the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert I designed the promotional material for their fall 2022 concerts, including posters, stickers and postcards. The last movement of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” served as the inspiration, featuring the iconic bell present in this movement.

Together with the brilliant photographer Prins de Vos I created two posters commissioned by Transgender Netwerk Nederland (Dutch Transgender Network) to be spread around Rotterdam in bus stops.

Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.