Martijn Voorvelt (Amsterdam, 1967) has a Ph.D. in musicology. Composing music was only a hobby, until unexpectedly winning a composition prize in 1994 made him happily decide on a career change. Since then his compositions, described in the press with adjectives as wide-ranging as ‘whacky’, ‘beautiful’, ‘compelling’, ‘well-balanced’ and ‘uncompromising’, have been performed around the world.

Voorvelt’s music is about the moment, the intensity and the theatrical nature of the musical performance. This often leads to surprising visual and dramatic elements, but there are seductive melodies and harmonies as well. A quest for uninhibited expression has led him to experiment with independent parts and simultaneous compositions since 1997.

Voorvelt is also a singer-songwriter and, as a vocalist and guitarist, has performed in many bands and ensembles. Being a keen and experienced birdwatcher he is also for hire as a bird guide.

Muziekfestival’Amsterdam Virtuosi 2011′

Een nieuwe compositie, ‘2/2 nocturnal’ voor tafelpiano en gitaar, van de hand van Martijn Voorvelt zal zijn première krijgen op het Compositieconcours op zaterdagavond 25 juni, 20.00 uur. Martijn Voorvelt speelt dan zelf de klassieke gitaar en Kaoru Iwamura de tafelpiano.