Piet-Jan van Rossum
(1966, Delft, the Netherlands), photo
Piet-Jan van Rossum (25/01/66) studied composition with Louis Andriessen, Jan Boerman, Dick Raaymakers and Peter-Jan Wagemans, as well as the organ with Rienk Jiskoot.
Van Rossum above all directs his attention to composing and writing. In his own words: “I look upon myself as a storyteller, as a member of an ancient tribe of shy, wild people who, through stories, sometimes succeed to create another way of experiencing time. My work comprises life as I live it: a piece of wood full of splinters, chunks of beauty and the fracturing or lack of it: lots of waiting, silences. This explains my fascination with scratched movies, lazy eyes, a broken voice, old gramophone-records. It’s all about looking for a novel beauty in the corrosion of an old (sound)world.”
With director and visual artist Petra van der Schoot he founded music theatre group Zoogdier, creating a large production every 4 years (2007/11/15/17).
In 2010 he was composer in focus at November Music resulting in the publication all and beyond by the festival.
He has been chairman of Componisten 96, an association for composers, and recently accomplished the merger with composers association Geneco, resulting in a stronger and more professional Nieuw Geneco.
Piet-Jan is a film – and bookcollector. His 80-reel collection of nitrate silent movies, some of them considered lost, are now kept at the Eye Filmmuseum.
His lifelong interest in theology leads him to monasteries once in a while, making the uninmaginable and the unseen regular subjects in his work.
Next to 97 compositions he wrote 3 small books and made 1 movie.
Most of his works are for unusual combinations of instruments; special ensembles were formed for special occasions. Next to that he has been and will be played by, a.o.: the Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Holland Symfonia, the David Kweksilber Bigband, MAE, slagwerk Den Haag, ASKO/Schönberg ensemble, the Ives ensemble, Lunatree (Lunapark), Ludwig, the Veni ensemble Bratislawa, ensemble Alpha Tokyo, ensemble Tokyo, Egidius kwartet, Ralph van Raat, Ilonka Kolthof, Reinier van Houdt and Arnold Marinissen.
Born in Delft (NL), since 2017 he divides his time between the Brabant countryside and Tokyo.
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