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BIOGRAPHY
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FROMMERMANN
Jan-Willem Schaafsma,
Marcel Reijans/Jeroen de Vaal
- tenor
Mattijs van de Woerd/Willem
de Vries, Jan Willem Baljet
- baritone
Martijn de Graaf Bierbrauwer
- bass
David Bollen - piano
Paul van Utrecht - guitar
GUESTS
Pieter
Hendriks - baritone; Paul Pleijsier
- guitar
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Dutch
vocal group FROMMERMANN is named after
Harry Frommermann, founder of the Comedian Harmonists.
This German ensemble, comprised of five singers
and a pianist, was a huge sensation in the late
1920s and early 1930s. Frommermann made their
debut in the 2005 Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam
with the program ‘Broken
Silence’, a musical tribute to the Comedian
Harmonists. Although meant to be a singular collaboration,
public and press were so enthusiastic about the
group that more concerts quickly followed. In
2006 Frommermann received an invitation to perform
at the annual Koninginnedagconcert (‘Queen’s
Concert’) at the Noordeinde Palace in The
Hague which was attended by HRH Queen Beatrix,
the royal family and many esteemed guests. For
this occasion, the Dutch public television program
NPS created a ‘making of’ documentary
which, together with the concert itself, was broadcast
nationwide on Koninginnedag (‘Queen’s
Day’) 2006. In the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008
seasons Frommermann brought the ‘Broken
Silence’ to many cities and theatres with
a tour throughout the Netherlands.
Frommermann presented in the 2008/09 season
‘Holland-America
Line’, a theatrical concert which blended
film images with Dutch and American music from
the thirties and forties. In addition to many
concerts in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium,
Frommermann enjoyed various highlights in 2008/2009
such as performing in the celebrated Prinsengrachtconcert
for thousands of people along the canals of Amsterdam,
collaborating with esteemed Dutch actors Peter
Blok and Gijs Scholten van Aschat in sold-out
performances in De Kleine Komedie theatre in Amsterdam
and singing in the annual Remembrance Day concert
in the Grote Zaal of the Concertgebouw.
In the 2009/10 season the gentlemen toured throughout
the Netherlands with 'Thrilling
Thirties' ('Betoverende Jaren 30').
Frommermann has recorded three CD's: 'Music
of the Comedian Harmonists' , 'Holland-America
Line' and most recentely 'Boum!'
(produced under their own label Frommermann
Records, in collaboration with distributor harmonia
mundi). All of the cd's have received critical
acclaim.
Frommermann sings at a phenomenal vocal
and musical level with an elegant mix
of humor and melancholy, charming class and deceptive
simplicity.
A review from Dutch newspaper Dagblad van
het Noorden:
“The power of Frommermann is in their total
quality…Humor is a steady element that never
goes too far. The stage is commanded by musicians
that understand their profession and still know
how to have a great time…The energy is palpable,
the arrangements are transparent. You can hear
every nuance; the gentlemen treat each other with
respect. Each has their own solo, interesting
ensembles, beautiful close harmony. And they sing
especially good repertoire, which thankfully this
ensemble has (partly) rescued from obscurity…An
entire evening of top amusement by seven men who
have no intention of stopping. Frommermann is
a goldmine that has long not been exhausted."
In the 2010/11 and 2011/12
seasons Frommermann tours with their
newest show 'Suit It!' ('Pak Aan!')'.
Whipped into shape by cabaret-master Karel
de Rooij (Mini of Maxi), and Tanzmeister
Hans Minnaert, the singing men formation Frommermann
brings an adventerous evening full of musical
excellence and vocal variété, with
music from Rossini to Aznavour. In 'Suit
It!' slapstick, sentiment, spectacle and vocal
showstoppers fight until the finish.
In the fall
of 2011 Frommermannen returns to their
classical roots with an ode to the son of the
muses Franz Schubert in the program 'FrommerFranz'.
DOWNLOAD biography
Last revised: May 2011
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FROMMERMANN performs in various combinations,
but always with five singers, piano and guitar.
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Jan-Willem Schaafsma began
singing lessons in 1995. Shortly thereafter he was accepted
to the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he studied
with Rita Dams, Barbara Pearson and Diane Forlano. He
participated in masterclasses of Charlotte Margiono, Jill
Feldman, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Graham Clarke. While
in De Nieuwe Opera Academie (New Opera Academy) he sung
the roles of Basilio/Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro
(Mozart), Trimalchio in Satyricon (Maderna)
and Ladislav in Dve Vdovy (Smetana). After completing
his studies he performed Dr. Cajus in Falstaff (Verdi),
Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten)
and Belmonte uit Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(Mozart). In 2006 he sung Fanciulla del West
(Puccini) in de NPS ZaterdagMatinee in the Concertgebouw
in Amsterdam under the direction of Edo de Waart. In 2007
he toured throughout the Netherlands in La Barca,
a Nationale Reisopera production. In the spring of 2009
he performed the title role in Lully's 'Phaëton'.
His concert repertoire consists of Messiah (Händel),
Johannes Passion, Matthäus Passion, Weihnachtsoratorium
(Bach), Requiem and various masses of Mozart,
as well as Symphonie no. 9 (Beethoven), Petite
Messe solennelle (Rossini), St. Nicolas Cantata
(Britten) and countless other works. In the 2010/11 season
Schaafsma will perform in Candide (Bernstein,
Nationale Reisopera) and Mirandolina (Martinu,
Opera Trionfo). |
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After completing his studies in political
science and communication science, the Dutch tenor Marcel
Reijans began studying voice at the Sweelinck
Conservatory in Amsterdam in 1990. From 1994 to 1996 he
studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia,
earning a Master of Music degree in Opera. He won first
prize in the Cristina Deutekom Concours in 1996 and represented
The Netherlands at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition
in 1997. Reijans regularly performs opera, recitals
and oratoria and his wide range of repertoire encompasses
works from the 17th to the 21st century. He has collaborated
with conductors such as Barenboim, Chailly, Eschenbach,
Gergiev, Jordan, Ozawa, Rattle, Rilling, De Waart and
Van Zweden. He has performed among others with the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Staatskapelle
Dresden, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, Boston Symphony
Orchestra, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and the Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra. Reijans sung in many opera houses
around the world (Brussels, Geneva, Baden-Baden, Hamburg,
Dresden, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Barcelona,
New York, Boston, Palermo, Antwerpen) and in his home
country he is a regular guest with the Nationale Reisopera
and De Nederlandse Opera. |
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Tenor Jeroen de Vaal graduated in June
2002 from the Utrechts Conservatorium.
He studied with Eugénie Ditewig, took part in the
opera class lead by Monique Wagemakers and Jan Slothouwer,
and has been coached by tenor Marcel Reijans.
He performs regularly in concerts and in diverse oratoria.
Recently he sung the role of the Evangelist in the
Lukas-Passion (Telemann) as well as in the Johannes-
and the Matthäus-Passion (Bach). He has
performed in various operas such as Die Zauberflöte
(Mozart), L'Orfeo (Monteverdi), Ariadne auf
Naxos (Strauss), Un petit voyage dans la Lune
(Offenbach) and Die sieben Todsünden (Weill).
De Vaal participated in the Nouveau Studio van de Opéra
de Lyon and has performed in Alden Biesen (Belgium) and
at Opéra de Lyon. In the 2006-2007 season
De Vaal made his debut at De Nederlandse Opera (Capriccio),
in Brussels at De Munt (Frühlingserwachen)
and with Opera Zuid as Camille in Die Lustige Witwe.
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Baritone Mattijs van de Woerd studied
at the conservatories of Rotterdam and Amsterdam with
Sylvia Schlüter, Maarten Koningsberger and Margreet
Honig. In 2001 Van de Woerd won the prestigious Vriendenkrans
and the Concertgebouwprijs of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam;
in 2003 he was awarded the first prize of the Wigmore
Hall International Song Competition in London. Van de
Woerd regularly performs opera and oratoria both internationally
and in the Netherlands. He has sung in productions of
De Nederlandse Opera, de Nationale Reisopera, Opéra
de Monte-Carlo, La Monnaie Brussel; with orchestras such
as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nederlandse Bachvereniging,
Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin, Combattimento Consort, NHK Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo, Orkest van de 18e Eeuw, Ebony Band, Northern Sinfonia
and Nieuw Ensemble; and has worked with many conductors
such as Jaap van Zweden, Jan Willem de Vriend, Ed Spanjaard,
Herbert Blomstedt, Peter Eötvös and Frans Brüggen.
On the opera stage he sung in Die Zauberflöte,
the title role in Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte,
Albert Herring, Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Les Indes
galantes and Les aventures du Roi Pausole.
Van de Woerd regularly gives lieder recitals and has collaborated
on various cd's and radio broadcasts, namely Jephte
(Carissimi), Johannes-Passion (Bach) and Les
mamelles de Tirésias (Poulenc). |
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Baritone Willem de Vries studied at
the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Margreet Honig.
He continued his studies with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
Graham Johnson, Udo Reinemann and Maarten Koningsberger.
Willem de Vries regularly performs opera in the Netherlands.
He has sung in L’Orfeo (Monteverdi)
and The Fairy Queen (Purcell), as well as
the roles of Chou-En-Lai in Nixon in China (Adams),
Poeta in Viva la Mamma (Donizetti) and Eisenstein
in Die Fledermaus (Strauss). With Opera Zuid
he performed the roles of Graf Danilo Danilowitsch in
Die Lustige Witwe (Léhar), Moralès
in Carmen (Bizet), Marco in Gianni Schicchi
(Puccini) and most recently Figaro in Il barbiere
die Siviglia (Rossini). His future engagements in
2009/2010 with Opera Zuid include the roles of Ford (Falstaff
Verdi), Valentin (Faust Gounod), Peter (Hänsel
und Gretel Humperdinck) and Graf Almaviva (Le
nozze di Figaro Mozart). He has sung with Zoroaster
and the Utrechts Blazers Ensemble, has participated in
various festivals such as the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam
and Zomer Opera Festival in Alden Biesen (Belgium) and
has worked for Opera Trionfo. De Vries is also active
as an oratoria and lieder singer and has collaborated
with conductors such as Reinbert de Leeuw, Jos van Veldhoven
and Peter Dijkstra.
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Baritone Jan Willem Baljet studied
with Udo Reinemann at the Utrechts Conservatorium. He
continued his studies at the Conservatoire Régionale
de Metz (France) in which he graduated with the highest
accolades (premier prix) and he also took lessons
at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Jan Willem Baljet regularly sings in opera productions
and has performed the roles of Papageno, der Sprecher
(Die Zauberflöte), the title role in
Don Giovanni, Don Carlo (Forza del Destino),
Gefängnisdirektor Frank (Die Fledermaus)
and Presto (Les mamelles de Tirésias).
With the Netherlands Opera he performed in world première
of Tan Dun's opera Tea in Tokyo and Amsterdam,
in Die Soldaten (A. Zimmermann) and in Saint
François d’Assise (O. Messiaen) in the
role of frère Sylvestre. Baljet has sung various
solo parts in oratoria and regularly gives lieder recitals.
He has been a guest at the Holland Festival, BBC Proms,
Gelders Festival, Festival de Auvers-sur-Oise, Les Heures
Romantiques and the Grachtenfestival. He has collaborated
with orchestras such as the Nederlands Philharmonisch
Orkest, Ictusensemble, Het Gelders Orkest, Tokyo Chamber
Orchestra and Orkest van het Oosten and worked with conductors
Ed Spanjaard, Ingo Metzmacher, Maurizio Kagel, Lawrence
Renes and Jurjen Hempel. |
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Bass Martijn de Graaf Bierbrauwer has
played guitar, bass and drums in pop bands since he was
14 years old. From conductor and composer Huub Kerstens
and the Koor Nieuwe Muziek he became acquainted with choral
singing. He sung the role of Corypheus in the Dutch premiere
of Oresteia (Xenakis) in the Concertgebouw in
the company of the composer. He became a member of Schola
Cantorum Amsterdam under the direction of Wim van Gerven,
where he regularly performed Gregorian chant in De Duif
in Amsterdam, as well as in the Festival Oude Muziek in
Utrecht. Since 1994 MGB has been a member of Cappella
Amsterdam under the direction of Daniel Reuss, as well
as with Collegium Vocale Gent, Nederlandse Bachvereniging
and Nederlands Kamerkoor. He has collaborated on vast
number of radio and television broadcasts and has made
various cd-recordings. Recently he sung in the production
Svadebka (Stravinsky) that was chosen for the annual
Queen's Day Concert and broadcast on television. MGB has
performed on a large number of cd's, namely Avant
Bach and the Boetepsalmen by Lassus with
Collegium Vocale Gent. He also sung the solo part with
fragments from the opera Akhnaten (Philip Glass)
on a cd with cello octet Conjunto Iberico, as well as
performing on recordings of Koolmees, De Leeuw, Heppener
and Ligeti with Cappella Amsterdam. |
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Pianist David Bollen studied in Amsterdam
with Jan Wijn and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has
acquired a reputation as an accompanist of singers and
instrumentalists and won the Charles Hennen Chamber Music
Competition with Janine Jansen and Cristian Poltera. As
a rehearsal pianist he has worked at De Nederlandse Opera,
Opera Zuid and for diverse music theater productions.
As an accompanist Bollen has played for the Internationaal
Vocalisten Concours in Den Bosch and the Cristina Deutekom
Concours in Enschede. He has accompanied various masterclasses
of Udo Reinemann and Thomas Hampson.
Bollen performs regularly internationally and in the Netherlands
with singers such as Marcel Reijans, Udo Reinemann and
Harry Peeters. Since 1992 he has been the primary coach/rehearsal
pianist of Opera Studio Nederland and he has worked with
renowned singers and teachers such as Regine Crespin and
Mikael Eliasen.
David Bollen is a teacher at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. |
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Paul van Utrecht studied
classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
In addition to guitar he also plays banjo, mandoline,
ukelele and electric guitar and is a regular guest with
the Schönberg Ensemble, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest,
Residentie Orkest, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Nederlands
Blazers Ensemble and ASKO Ensemble. With the Stravinsky
Ensemble Van Utrecht performed the solo guitar part in
‘Lieder auf der Flucht’ by Manfred Trojahn
at the Festival Musikalische Zeitgenossen im Allgäu.
Under the direction of Reinbert de Leeuw, John Adams,
Jaap van Zweden, Lucas Vis and Peter Eötvös
he has played guitar in almost all the compositions of
Louis Andriessen.
In addition to his career as a guitarist Van Utrecht is
also the conductor of two choral groups, one of which
is the Amsterdams Smartlappenkoor. He works regularly
as a singing coach and musical leader for musicals and
music theater productions, such as 'HOL' by tgBloody Mary,
‘De Brief voor de Koning’, ‘Nijntje’
and ‘De Scheepsjongens van Bontekoe’. In the
2008/09 season he performed in, and was the musical leader
of, 'De Man van La Mancha' with Peter Faber.
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Baritone Pieter Hendriks studied
at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Herman Woltman
and Wout Oosterkamp. After receiving his Master's degree
(UM) he primarily concentrated on performing oratoria.
In 1997 Hendriks was the prize winner in the Erna Spoorenberg
Vocalistenpresentatie for oratorium. He broadened his
repertoire to opera, starting with repertoire of Kurt
Weill. With the Radio Symfonie Orkest he performed in
a NPS (television) production of Der Protoganist.
More roles followed: at the Nationale Reisopera (as
Kilian in von Weber's Freischütz and as
Henry in Snow White by Micha Hamel), De Nederlandse
Opera (as Monnik in the world premiere of Tan Dun's
Tea), Barokopera Amsterdam (King Arthur
by Purcell) and Opera Trionfo (as Mama Agatha in Viva
la Mamma by Donizetti). He has worked with renowned
ensembles such as Combattimento Consort, het Residentie
Orkest and Radio Kamer Filharmonie. Under conductor
Jaap van Zweden he sung the bass solo in the First
Symphony by Van Dieren and under the direction
of Frans Brüggen he sung in Et la Vie l'Emporta
(Martin) in the ZaterdagMatinee and Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony in Barcelona.
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Paul Pleijsier
studied classical guitar with Jan Goudswaard at
the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he
graduated "with honours". While still
at the conservatory he performed on Dutch TV in
the AVRO program "Young artists on the concert
podium". Together with Marcel Verreck Paul
won the Leidsch Cabaret Festival. For six consecutive
theatre seasons Verreck & Pleijsier toured
with a innovative show that pushed the boundaries
of the serious side of classical music. Paul has
written television themes, was a finalist in the
Ultimate Guitar Competition of American magazine's
'Guitar Player' and has performed with the Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra in compositions such as
Moses und Aron and Otello.
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