Saturday night is the evening to go out and throw a party in the club.
This composition depicts this exuberant atmosphere.
Groovy beats in battery/aux. percussion and a catchy melody and chords that seem come straight from a dance record. A great and accessible piece for your pops-concert!
Instrumentation 15 parts: 5 x mallets, timpani,  battery percussion (one with kick bassdrum), 
7 x aux. percussion and bassdrum parts. The intro has ad.lib. repeats: check video for entrance-idea.
Duration 4:10
Level: medium
LISTEN & WATCH HERE
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This 3,5 minute overture illustrates the reboot and joy of playing music together again after the covid-lockdown. 

The optimistic composition is straightforward, energetic and suitable for many levels. 

The minimalistic intrada creates the possibility to start the piece with an empty stage. 

After the woodblock enters, more musicians can join the stage: a metaphor of rejoining again. 

Due to the variety in the percussion ensemble sector, i made three versions.
This 3nd and largest version has 16 parts: 7 mallet parts, timpani, 8 percussion parts.

level: medium
LISTEN HERE
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This atmospheric and emotional 5,5 minute piece for large percussion ensemble and Euphonium solo
gives musical shape to the old saying 'every cloud has a silver lining';
After difficult stages in life comes hope and eventually relief. 
The beautiful melody in the Euphonium (also possible on Flugelhorn if desired) is accompanied by tasteful chords and ethereal percussive colours.
Later on, the battery percussion accompany gives an ethnic groove to the music.
Instrumentation, 16 parts: euphonium solo, 7 mallet parts, keyboard, timpani, 6 percussion parts.
Level: medium
LISTEN & WATCH HERE 
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This sensitive concert piece for large percussion ensemble and voice (optional)
is based on the eponymous poem by Edgar Allen Poe.
It describes the love and loss of that loved one in a passionate way.
The optional voice declaims the poem during the piece and form a synthesis with the music.
Instrumentation 20 parts including voice: 6 mallet parts, timpani, 12 battery and aux. parts.
Another extra 3 parts are included. This concerns the separate bongo/bassdrum combo. 
The battery players can play these combo parts.
Duration 8:30
Level: medium difficult
LISTEN & WATCH HERE
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This challenging concert piece in three parts is based on the ancient Greek legend of Pandora.

It was commissioned by percussion ensemble St. Barbara Leveroy for their 

participation at the World Music Contest 2009.

The moral of the story is still a topic in our modern time frame.

A time frame were humanity's curiosity creates unlimited knowledge
and technological possibilities. 

But when this knowledge - often described as 'Pandora's Box' -
is opened, humanity often abuses these knowledge for personal 

gain or violent purposes. 
Instrumentation 15 parts: 5 mallet parts, timpani, 3x battery percussion,
4x aux. percussion, 2 bass drum parts.
Duration 8:25
Level: medium difficult
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On juni 13 1673 the French armies of the the 'Sun King' Louis XIV attacked the 
Dutch city of Maastricht. A battle of great importance in European
History.  The famous captain of the Musketeers D'Artagnan, subject in 
various movies and literature, played an important role in this battle.
How things came to be before, during and after this Siege 
is depicted in this epic composition for large percussion ensemble
and (optional) narrator.
Instrumentation 16 parts (including narrator): glock., vibra, 3 marimba's,
tubular chimes, timpani, 3x battery percussion, 3x aux. percussion,
concert bass drums.
Duration 10:30
Level: medium difficult
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In late 2019, a powerful radio signal coming from 500 million light-years away,
reached the Chime telescope located in the remote Okanagan Falls
in British Columbia, Canada.

These signals, Fast Radio Bursts, come from a galaxy similar to ours. 

One-off Fast Radio Bursts are occasionally tracked and are attributed to dying stars.

However, the Chime Telescope signal brought the scientific world in great

arousal: it repeats several times per hour for 4 days, disappears for 12 days

and then return in the same cycle. 

The signal even sounds -played back in slow motion- as a rhythmic pattern.

How is this possible? The opinions are divided.

Is there a physical explanation or is this a message from an
alien civilization and is this the so-called 'First Contact'?

This intriguing question inspired the composer to create this composition.

The signal is converted into a rhythmic and melodic motif
with variations and is the connecting element in this five-part composition.

part I: Chime Telescope

part II: Analasys, revealing the Signal

part III: Excitement, scientific proof!

part IV: Lightyears away, will we ever get answers?

part V: the Source, First Contact?

Composed on the occasion of ONSK 2023, 

the Dutch Open Percussion Championships.
Section middle class melody percussion ensemble.

Instrumentation 15 parts: glock.,vibra,xylo,marimba(3x),tubular ch.,
timpani, 3x battery percussion, 3x aux. percussion, bass drum.
Duration 10:30

Level: medium difficult
LISTEN & WATCH HERE

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This dazzling overture for percussion orchestra is dedicated to my dear friends of percussion ensemble Concordia Obbicht. 

Our collaboration started in 2002 and our journey to new musical heights still continues. 

It was composed for the Towards Infinity concert in november 2023 where music and astronomy created a unique concert experience. 

This melodic and rhythmic powerhouse expresses human ingenuity and perseverance. 

This makes us able to do great deeds and reach the stars, figuratively and literally.
INSTRUMENTATION 19 parts: 11 melodic parts ( 4 marimbas, 2 vibraphones, 2 xylophones, crotales, glockenspiel, tubular bells), Timpani (4), 3 battery percussion parts, 3 aux. perc. parts, bassdrums (2)
DURATION 3:06
Level: difficult
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All present-day continents on Earth originated from one prehistoric supercontinent called Pangea, more than 250 million years ago. 

Pangea was broken up by the movements of the earth's plates and formed our present continents and mountain ranges. 

It's a fast-forward impression from the earth then to now: from Pangea to Proxima. 

The archaic and rhythmic character of the composition and the use of various drums and sounds with natural materials such as wood, boulders and a litophone - a combination of different tuned natural stones - links to the geological history of our planet. 

Also, two central setups for 6 percussionists play an important role being the ritmical and visual heart.

I Pangea & Panthalassa: an impression of the massive and dry supercontinent Pangea and the surrounding superocean called Panthalassa. 

II Tectonics: Due to plate tectonics, continents are moving away from each other and landscapes are distorting. 

III Proxima: several continents with a great diversity of species and a multitude of 

landscapes are created; the earth never stands still.
The piece is suitable for ensembles with skilled battery percussionists and
fewer and less experienced mallet players.
INSTRUMENTATION 15 parts: 6 battery percussionists on two setups.
Both setups consist of a central placed bass- or impactdrum surrounded with
3 bongos and 3 toms and the other setup surrounded with 3 congas and 3 toms.
Setup one (players 1,2,3) include woodblocks and percussion stones.
Setup two (players 4,5,6) include shakers and percussion stones.
Three mallet parts: vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells with tuned wine glass and
a Litophone (5 different tuned natural stones or ceramics). 
Timpani (4), four aux. percussion parts with doun douns(2) or similar, wooden poles
and other various effect instruments and cymbals. Two concert bassdrums.
Duration 6:45
LISTEN HERE
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This epic 25-minute concert work for percussion orchestra expresses the consecutive stages 

to reach the planet Mars and eventually form a colony as an outer earth,

an Extra Terra. A company like SpaceX is leading the way right now to realize 

this vision of nearby future. Visionaries like Elon Musk believe that we are depleting

our planet so much that we will eventually have to make a choice to leave

our planet and colonize Mars. The various stages of development will appear

during the composition: from the first satellite that passed Mars in 1965 to the actual manned mission, expected sometime in the coming decades.

The eventual foundation of a community as a vision for the future concludes this

compelling piece commissioned by HMC Helmond for their succesfull 2022 WMC participation. 

It is divided into three large parts and preceded by a Prologue and Intrada.

The three main parts are called 'phases' in science. 

Various subsections of these phases describe the specific events on our way to the red planet.

INSTRUMENTATION 18 parts (incl. one ad.lib. part): 9 mallet parts (4x marimba;

2 vibraphones, glock., xylophone & crotales, tub. bells), timpani, 4 battery percussion parts,

3 aux. percussion parts, concert bassdrum.
Level: Difficult
LISTEN HERE
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(revised in 2022)
This 9,5 minute concert piece for large percussion ensemble & samples describes a musical evolution.

It starts with the smallest possible musical germ: a metronome.

From there it evolves by means of ostinati that gradually change.
The link with the digitally produced music is a reference to developments in (popular) music
and our digital society.

The ominous character of the beginning is becoming increasingly apparent and evolves into 

popular music with latin elements.

After the turbulence the piece gets into a relaxing atmosphere, but the repetitive character remains.
It builds up towards the exciting final part where a link is made with dance music
with challenging features for the vibraphone player and battery percussion.
After the euphoric climax, relaxation enters and the piece ends as it began, coming full circle.
Instrumentation 17 parts (including a sample part); 7 mallet parts; timpani; drumset,
3 setup parts, 3 aux. perc. parts, concert bassdrum(s). 
Samples delivered in mp3 format.
Level: Difficult  
LISTEN & WATCH HERE
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Artificial intelligence: curse or blessing? That is the main question in this 9,5 minute concert piece for large percussion ensemble and samples.
We can't live without our smart machines which are interwoven in our daily lives. But at what cost and how will it evolve in the future? Will we become androids ourselves? The synthesis with produced electronics and soundbites in this composition illustrate these developments.
The piece is divided in sections:

In the beginning you will hear the optimism, then the discussion, a dystopian vision of the future, man versus machine and finally the hope that we will live in harmony with technology.
Instrumentation 17 parts: 7 mallet parts, timpani, 9 percussion parts. Samples delivered in mp3 format.
Level: Difficult
LISTEN HERE
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July 15, 1996, a dark day for the music world but especially for the victims and relatives
of the crash of the military 'Hercules' plane in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. 

Thirty-four of the 41 occupants did not survive.
Most were members of the talented Fanfare orchestra of the Royal Netherlands Army. 

As part of the memorial concert in 2016, this composition was created. 

It describes the testimonies, feelings and resilience of the bereaved.
Instrumentation 16 parts: 7 mallet parts ( 3 marimba parts), timpani, 3 battery parts
(incl. drumset), 4 parts aux. percussion, bass drum.
Duration 11:30
Level: Difficult
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