Peter-Jan Wagemans

* 1952 in The Hague; Peter-Jan Wagemans studied organ, composition and music theory at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag and for a time with Klaus Huber in Freiburg; he is a co-founder of the Rotterdam School. Since 1984 he has taught composition at the Rotterdams Conservatorium (Codarts). His music has been played in Donaueschingen (“Musik II” under Ernest Bour) and at festivals in Royan, Warsaw, Venice, Klagenfurt and Prague, among others. The Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest performed the commissioned composition “Die Stadt und der Engel” under Riccardo Chailly and “Moloch” under Mariss Jansons; his Seventh Symphony was given its first performance by the Residentie Orkest under Reinbert de Leeuw. For the pianist Tomoko Mukaijama he wrote the piano cycle “The Landscape”. In 1998 he received the Matthijs-Vermeulen-Preis. Three albums connect him with Cybele, all conceived as portraits of his work. The start was made in 2001 by Portrait Peter-Jan Wagemans with the DoelenKwartet, Richard Jansen (percussion) and Paul Hermsen (piano). Two decades later there followed Night Dancer (2022) with the DoelenEnsemble under Arie van Beek, which brings together “Frozen Ritual”, “The Long Road”, “Night Dancer” and “Figures In A Landscape”, and Cycles (2023) with Matthijs van Wijhe and Friso van Wijck for piano, percussion, electronics and tape; the composer himself took part in both recordings.