Amsterdam, baby!

Arty self-portrait in the Dutch train window :)

I love Amsterdam. Laura and I first went there with our friends Tim and Alison Stokes in winter 2000, and I’ve loved it ever since. I was back for another visit in summer 2000 at the end of our year of living in London, and had lunch then with composer/flutist Ned McGowan—Ned played in my piece Leave Song earlier that year at an SCI conference in Ann Arbor, MI, and so we made plans to connect when I was there in the summer, and VOILA…the beginning of a great friendship that has lasted to the present day.

Ned McGowan and Ere Lievonen at a Hexnut rehearsal in 2011

Several of the WRENCH composers in the Muziekgebouw Cafe—back row, L to R: Mayke Nas, Seung-Ah Oh, David Dramm; front row, L to R: Steven Ricks, Felipe Waller

Sometime in 2009-10, Ned invited me to participate in a project he organized with his chamber ensemble Hexnut called WRENCH—inspired by (and featuring) the images of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. Eight composers, including Ned, would write new works for Hexnut inspired by particular images of Burtynsky that would then be projected while the pieces were played, in some cases with some cropping or dynamic juxtapostions. The resulting concert, which premiered at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam on May 23, 2011, remains one of my favorite collaborative experiences in my compositional career—the cool location and vibe of the venue, the amazing performers and composers involved, and the chance to collaborate with Edward Burtynsky all made it an unforgettable experience. Hexnut toured the program around the Netherlands, performed it at BYU in September 2013, and then played the piece I wrote for the project—Geometria Situs—at Splendor Amsterdam in June 2017 as part of a workshop we organized with Ned and others for BYU students.

Hexnut at BYU in the de Jong Concert Hall performing Geometria Situs, September 2013—Photo by Nathalie van Empel

SO…I mentioned this in a previous post, but thanks to a professional development leave from BYU Laura and I will be living in Amsterdam this fall from Sept. 1 through Dec. 29. I’ll be writing a new piece for Ned for contrabass flute and electronics, doing some improvising on trombone and electronics with other friends and colleagues as opportunities arise, and working on other composition projects, all while going to as many concerts as I can and just soaking up the generally cool vibe of the city with Laura and friends. Amsterdam, baby!