Jacob de Haan is a Dutch contemporary composer known for wind music. De Haan has also published various vocal works, including several masses for choir,

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

, and soloists.

Early life and education

As a child, de Haan learned the basics of piano from his brother Jan de Haan. He later studied at the

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

Music Academy, majoring in

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

and organ studies under the tutelage of Jos van der Kooy. After graduating in 1984, he taught

music arrangement Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of musi ...

at the Leeuwarden Academy.

Career

De Haan gained recognition in the 1980s for his film-inspired compositions. He also conducts

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es and serves as a jury member at international music competitions. In

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, De Haan collaborated with the Bayerische Musikakademie (Bavarian Music Academy) and the Bundesakademie für musikalische Jugendbildung (Federal Academy for Musical Youth Education) in

Trossingen Trossingen (; Swabian: ''Drossinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in a region called Baar, between the Swabian Alb and the Black Forest. Stuttgart is about an hour away, Lake Constance about half an hour, and the so ...

Composition

De Haan draws inspiration from both contemporary and classical composers. His compositional process often begins with improvisation on his old

Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...

piano, developing themes and melodies into completed works.

Awards

In 2018, De Haan was honored with the Buma Wind Music Award and the Buma Classical Award. Earlier, in 2003, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Frisian regional broadcasting company Omrop Fryslân.

Works

*Happy Harmony (Commissioned by harmony ''Le Réveil Social des travailleurs'' from

Sanvignes-les-Mines Sanvignes-les-Mines () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 563 communes ...

, France, 2024) *Remembrance Day (Totengedenken) *Ross Roy *San Diego *Singapore Rhapsody *So nimm denn meine Hände (arr. Jacob de Haan of " So nimm denn meine Hände") *Song of Liberation *Song of Praise *Stille Nacht (arr.) *Suite Symetrique *Symphonic Variations *The Blues Factory *The Book of Urizen *The Duke of Albany (2015, for the Harmonie-Fanfare de Vic-le-Comte, France) *The Fields *The Heart of Lithuania *The Musical Village *The Saint and the City *The Spirit of Christmas *The Universal Band Collection *Toccata from *Totengedenken *Utopia *Variazioni in Blue *Virginia *Abba Gold *Adagietto *Adagio (T. Albinoni) *Ammerland *Arioso (J. S. Bach) *Band Time Expert *Border Zone *Bridge Between Nations *Caldas da Rainha *Dakota

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haan 1959 births Living people Dutch composers Dutch male conductors (music) People from Heerenveen 21st-century Dutch conductors (music) 21st-century Dutch male musicians People from Friesland