David Porcelijn
Encyclopedia
David Porcelijn is a Dutch
composer
and conductor
.
David Porcelijn studied flute, composition and conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in The Hague
. He also studied the baroque flute, specialising in authentic performance practice of the baroque and classical periods, which has informed his interpretations as a conductor in that repertoire ever since. He won a scholarship to study conducting and composition in Geneva
. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
, London Sinfonietta
, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg, Orquesta Filharmónica de Gran Canaria, Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, amongst many others. In 2004 he made his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra
in their series “Music of Today”, and also took the orchestra on tour.
As well as conducting the core repertoire, he also has an interest in new music. With musical director Ton Hartsuiker
, he founded Ensemble M (1974-1978) for the performance of modern music. In 2003 he took the Nieuw Ensemble of Amsterdam to the Edinburgh International Festival
for three concerts.
His work now sees him conducting in three continents with major cultural organisations like Opera Australia
, the Prague Spring Festival and the Orquesta Filharmónica de la Cuidad de México
. He has held positions as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
(including a tour of China), Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
(including tours of North and South America), Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RTB Symphony Orchestra in Belgrade
, Music Director and Conductor of the Nederlands Dans Theater and he has also been a regular guest conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
From 2010 he will be chief conductor of the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra (Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester) in Denmark.
In 1992 he was awarded the prize as Best Opera Conductor at the Munich Biennial for a production with Netherlands Opera. In 1994 he made his British operatic debut conducting Verdi
's Oberto
at Opera North. He made his Australian opera debut in 1991 conducting Rigoletto
for the State Opera of South Australia
, where he has since conducted Macbeth
, La traviata
and John Adams' Nixon in China
and, with Opera Queensland
, Madama Butterfly
. His work for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House
has included Lucia di Lammermoor
, Rigoletto, The Tales of Hoffmann and The Barber of Seville
and, in co-operation with Opera Australia, he also conducted a semi-staged version of Rossini's La Cenerentola
in Tasmania
.
David Porcelijn's recordings artist include the symphonies of Christian Sinding
with the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR. For ABC Classics
in Australia
is his complete cycle of Beethoven
symphonies with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Olivier Messiaen
's Éclairs sur l'au-delà…
with the Sydney Symphony (which won the 1994 Award for ABC Classic FM Australian Recording of the Year) and other records with the Adelaide and Tasmanian symphony orchestras that have included CDs of music by the Australian composers Richard Meale
, Peter Sculthorpe
(whose Sun Music I-IV won the 1997 ARIA award for Best Australian Classical Recording), Nigel Westlake
and Mathew Hindson. Other CDs for ABC Classics include music by Kurt Schwertsik
, Schubert
lieder (orchestrated by Brahms
, Reger
, Offenbach
and Liszt
), overtures by Daniel Auber
, the first in a series of showpieces for piano and orchestra with Ian Munro
as soloist, and harp concertos played by Alice Giles. For EMERGO he has recorded music by the Dutch composers Tristan Keuris
(with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus) and Hans Kox. For cpo, he recently started a project to record all the symphonic works of the Dutch composers Julius Röntgen
, Henk Badings
and Jan van Gilse
. This project will be in co-operation with various German, Swedish and Dutch orchestras. With the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra
in the Czech Republic
, he will record the music of Jeff Hamburg
, Isidora Zebeljan
, Jacqueline Fontyn
, and Martin Smolka
for Future Classics and Cybelle Records.
David Porcelijn has been professor in conducting at the Utrecht-Amsterdam and at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
.
Porcelijn's music is published by Donemus.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
David Porcelijn studied flute, composition and conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. He also studied the baroque flute, specialising in authentic performance practice of the baroque and classical periods, which has informed his interpretations as a conductor in that repertoire ever since. He won a scholarship to study conducting and composition in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
, London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. It performs some 110 concerts a year, and is based at the 1,500-seat Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.-History:...
, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg, Orquesta Filharmónica de Gran Canaria, Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, amongst many others. In 2004 he made his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra
Philharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
in their series “Music of Today”, and also took the orchestra on tour.
As well as conducting the core repertoire, he also has an interest in new music. With musical director Ton Hartsuiker
Ton Hartsuiker
Ton Hartsuiker is a Dutch classical pianist, best known as a performer of 20th century classical music, composer, music school administrator and radio broadcaster. He was the director of both the Music Academy of Utrecht and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and was also on the faculty of the...
, he founded Ensemble M (1974-1978) for the performance of modern music. In 2003 he took the Nieuw Ensemble of Amsterdam to the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
for three concerts.
His work now sees him conducting in three continents with major cultural organisations like Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
, the Prague Spring Festival and the Orquesta Filharmónica de la Cuidad de México
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. He has held positions as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. The orchestra reformed in 1949 as the 55 member South Australian Symphony Orchestra. It reverted to its original and present title, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in late 1974, and...
(including a tour of China), Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
(including tours of North and South America), Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RTB Symphony Orchestra in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Music Director and Conductor of the Nederlands Dans Theater and he has also been a regular guest conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
From 2010 he will be chief conductor of the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra (Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester) in Denmark.
In 1992 he was awarded the prize as Best Opera Conductor at the Munich Biennial for a production with Netherlands Opera. In 1994 he made his British operatic debut conducting Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Oberto
Oberto
-People:* Oberto I , tenth-century Count palatine of Italy and founder of the Obertenghi dynasty* Oberto II , son of Oberto I and Count of Milan* Oberto II of Biandrate, Count of Biandrate and a participant in the Fourth Crusade...
at Opera North. He made his Australian opera debut in 1991 conducting Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
for the State Opera of South Australia
State Opera of South Australia
State Opera of South Australia is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. Each year, the State Opera presents at least three major operatic productions at the Adelaide Festival Theatre as well as producing or supporting other smaller productions in The Opera...
, where he has since conducted Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
and John Adams' Nixon in China
Nixon in China
Nixon in China may refer to:*1972 Nixon visit to China, U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to the People's Republic of China**"Nixon in China" , a reference to the above used as a metaphor for an unexpected or uncharacteristic action by a politician*Nixon in China, an opera by composer John...
and, with Opera Queensland
Opera Queensland
Opera Queensland is an opera company based in Brisbane, Queensland. The company was founded with funding from the Queensland State Government in 1981, then under the name Lyric Opera of Queensland, after the Queensland Opera Company was closed in December 1980.It is after Opera Australia the second...
, Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
. His work for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
has included Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, Rigoletto, The Tales of Hoffmann and The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
and, in co-operation with Opera Australia, he also conducted a semi-staged version of Rossini's La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
David Porcelijn's recordings artist include the symphonies of Christian Sinding
Christian Sinding
Christian August Sinding was a Norwegian composer.-Personal life:He was born in Kongsberg as a son of mine superindendent Matthias Wilhelm Sinding and Cecilie Marie Mejdell . He was a brother of the painter Otto Sinding and the sculptor Stephan Sinding...
with the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR. For ABC Classics
ABC Classics
ABC Classics is the classical music record label within the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is internationally recognised as Australia's premier classical music label, with a catalogue of more than 500 titles...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is his complete cycle of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
symphonies with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
's Éclairs sur l'au-delà…
Éclairs sur l'au-delà…
Éclairs sur l'au-delà… is an orchestral piece by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. Composed in 1987–91, it was his last completed work, his very last work being Concert à quatre...
with the Sydney Symphony (which won the 1994 Award for ABC Classic FM Australian Recording of the Year) and other records with the Adelaide and Tasmanian symphony orchestras that have included CDs of music by the Australian composers Richard Meale
Richard Meale
Richard Graham Meale, AM, MBE was an Australian composer of instrumental works and operas.-Biography:Meale was born in Sydney and studied piano with Winifred Burston at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, as well as clarinet, harp, music history and theory, before studying at the University of...
, Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is an Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
(whose Sun Music I-IV won the 1997 ARIA award for Best Australian Classical Recording), Nigel Westlake
Nigel Westlake
-Biography:Nigel Westlake's career in music has spanned more than 3 decades.He studied the clarinet with his father, Donald Westlake and subsequently left school early to pursue a performance career in music.Nigel toured Australia and the world playing with ballet companies, a circus troupe,...
and Mathew Hindson. Other CDs for ABC Classics include music by Kurt Schwertsik
Kurt Schwertsik
Kurt Schwertsik is an Austrian contemporary composer. He is famous for creating the “Third Viennese School” and spreading contemporary classical music....
, Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
lieder (orchestrated by Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
, Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
and Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
), overtures by Daniel Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
, the first in a series of showpieces for piano and orchestra with Ian Munro
Ian Munro (pianist)
Ian Munro is an Australian pianist, composer, writer and music educator. His career has taken him to over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.-Biography:...
as soloist, and harp concertos played by Alice Giles. For EMERGO he has recorded music by the Dutch composers Tristan Keuris
Tristan Keuris
Tristan Keuris was a Dutch composer.Keuris initially studied with Jan van Vlijmen in Amersfoort. At the age of 15 he started his studies with Ton de Leeuw at the Utrecht Conservatory. Upon graduating from the conservatory he received the 'Prijs voor compositie'...
(with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus) and Hans Kox. For cpo, he recently started a project to record all the symphonic works of the Dutch composers Julius Röntgen
Julius Röntgen
Julius Engelbert Röntgen was a German-Dutch composer of classical music.-Life:Julius Röntgen was born in Leipzig, Germany, to a family of musicians. His father, Engelbert Röntgen, was first violinist in the Gewandhaus orchestra in Leipzig; his mother, Pauline Klengel, was a pianist, the aunt of...
, Henk Badings
Henk Badings
Henk Badings was a Dutch composer.Born in Bandung, Java, Dutch East Indies, as the son of Herman Louis Johan Badings, an officer in the Dutch East Indies army, Badings became an orphan at an early age...
and Jan van Gilse
Jan van Gilse
Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse was a Dutch composer and conductor. Among his works are five symphonies and the Dutch-language opera Thijl.-Life:...
. This project will be in co-operation with various German, Swedish and Dutch orchestras. With the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra
Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Brno Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Brno, the Czech Republic. Its predecessor was the Czech Symphony Orchestra, dating from the 1870's. The current Brno Philharmonic was formed in 1956 with the merger of the Radio Orchestra and the Brno Region Symphony Orchestra, with Břetislav...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, he will record the music of Jeff Hamburg
Jeff Hamburg
Jeff Hamburg is an American composer. Born in Philadelphia, he studied acoustics and composition at the University of Illinois and moved to the Netherlands in 1978 to continue his studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Louis Andriessen. In 1986, he received the Conservatory Prize...
, Isidora Zebeljan
Isidora Žebeljan
Isidora Žebeljan is a Serbian composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Žebeljan was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and drew international attention with her opera Zora D. which was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation from London. It was premièred in Amsterdam in 2003, directed by David Pountney...
, Jacqueline Fontyn
Jacqueline Fontyn
Jacqueline Fontyn is a contemporary Belgian composer, pianist and music educator. She was born in Antwerp, and has received the title of baroness from the King of Belgium in recognition of her many artistic contributions.-Background:...
, and Martin Smolka
Martin Smolka
Martin Smolka is a contemporary Czech composer of classical music.- Works :1983* Slzy ;1985-19881988* Music for Retuned Instruments;1989* Zvonění for solo percussion;* Nocturne;...
for Future Classics and Cybelle Records.
David Porcelijn has been professor in conducting at the Utrecht-Amsterdam and at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
.
Porcelijn's music is published by Donemus.