Form of the sessions
The workshops De Componist had the form of discussions, presentations and practical training. The practical training included a. simulations of situations which a composer was facing in his/her practice; b. physical training connected with space and body awareness; c. improvisation; d. collaboration presenting your work, your sources of inspiration and getting feedback not only from your colleagues but also from artists from other disciplines was an integral part of the programme.
Aspasia Nasopoulou was making the modelling and moderation of the series in collaboration with special guests.
Every spring was taking place a special edition of the series; the 2 day laboratorium.The group had the possibility to work for two days in the Walter Maas Huis together but also in collaboration with other artists making application of the issues they had discussed and worked on the all year; Source of inspiration, collaboration, crossing boarders, creation and presentation verbalization of your ideas and debate with the audience. The 2 days leads towards a performative presentation which is taking different forms every year; performance-installation-workshop-lecture and it was open to a limited audience who in the end reflected on the results.
Guests
Joel Bons artistic director of Nieuwe Ensemble, Jonas Bisquert composer, Willem Captijn writer-director, Film Academy Amsterdam, Coandcompany music theater group from Germany, Theo Dimitriadis music therapist , Lolke Van Diggelen psychologist (docent, Conservatorium van Amsterdam), Anthony Fiumara music journalist, composer, Eva Fotiadi art historian, Ned Mc Gowan composer, Henk Hevelmans director Gaudeamus, Henkjian Honing professor of music cognition at UvA
Edzard Mik writer, Makiko Sadakata researcher of music cognition at Nijmegen University, Ina Stockem, choreographer
Kevin Walton singer-actor-theater director
I found all my visits as guest to the Walter Maas Huis workshop 'De Componist' most interesting and useful. As the concepts, concerns and ways of working between the arts seem to converge, contact with individuals across the disciplines has become indispensable. My experience from the combination of invited guests from other fields in the sessions I participated to, was that it contributed interesting insights to that direction, without loosing sight from the priority of music for the participants. The flexibility of the autonomous workshop structure (outside the curricula of the conservatory or the art academy) also opens up possibilities for experimentation that formal educational programs have often difficulties catering for.
Eva Fotiadi
Docent kunstgeschiedenis Rietveld Academie
Docent moderne en hedendaagse kunst Universiteit van Amsterdam
I have very much enjoyed my involvement with 'De Componist' over the last two years. The house itself has an extraordinary atmosphere and it's been a real pleasure to work with such dedicated, creative professionals - those from Walter Maas Huis who organise, moderate and facilitate the programme and the composers who have taken part in it.
Brought together with their peers and facilitated by practitioners from different creative disciplines, 'De Componist' offers artists more used to working alone a rare opportunity to reflect on, question and invigorate their creative concepts and practice. It's a challenging but non-judgemental forum to develop new ideas, methodologies and techniques and to examine and consolidate existing ones.
I came to the Netherlands from the UK hoping to discover an open, enquiring attitude to the arts; one which is not elitist but nevertheless does not compromise in the pursuit of excellence, virtuosity and originality - I always arrive at and leave Walter Maas Huis with a smile on my face!
Kevin Walton
Singer-actor-theater director
