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Willem Jeths was born in 1959 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. He first studied music education at the Sweelinck Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam and afterwards composition at the Utrecht Conservatory of Music with Hans Kox and Tristan Keuris. Upon graduating in 1988 the jury awarded him the Composition Prize.
Additionally Jeths studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam from 1983-1991. His doctoral dissertation on the composer Elisabeth Kuyper (1877-1953) was included in the book Zes vrouwelijke componisten (Six women composers) published by the Walburg Press, Zutphen (1991).
Willem Jeths has received international recognition for several of his compositions. The violin concerto Glenz and the Piano Concerto won prizes at the International Composition Competition in Vienna in 1996.
In May 2000 a three-day ‘Willem Jeths Festival’ was held in Rotterdam. In the same year the Kronos Quartet (USA) commissioned a string quartet, Intus trepidare, which enjoyed a successful premiere in October 2004 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The U.K. premiere took place in January 2005 in London’s Barbican Centre, followed by the work’s American premiere in February 2005 in Carnegie Hall in New York. Jeths also received a commission from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for a flugelhorn concerto, entitled Al fondo per l’oscuro, which was premiered in September 2002. In October 2003 the concerto was released on super-audio CD, receiving the highest possible rating from the Dutch music magazine Luister. Within the framework of the Mahler concerts during the 2009-2011 seasons he has received a commission to again compose a work for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Willem Jeths wrote together with librettist Friso Haverkamp, the opera, Hôtel de Pékin - dreams for a Dragon Queen - about the Chinese Empress Dowager Ci Xi. The work’s premiere, produced by the Nationale Reisopera, took place in November 2008 as part of the opening celebrations for the new Opera Theatre in Enschede, the Netherlands. In the 2011-2012 season a concertante performance will be given during the ZaterdagMatinee in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
Jeths’ Bandoneon Concerto was premiered during the Holland Festival 2001. During the 2004-2005 season he was composer-in-residence at the Gelders Orkest. Among the new works performed during his tenure was Seanchai. During the same season he was also composer-in-residence at the Brabants Orkest. During this period the clarinet concerto Yellow Darkness was conceived. In 2005-2006 Jeths was composer-in-residence at the Rotterdam concert hall De Doelen. During the 2006-2007 season he was composer-in-residence at the Orkest van het Oosten in Enschede. Additionally, the Holland Symfonia has offered him a commission for a work for orchestra, Ombre Cinesi in celebration of the opening of the restored Filharmonie (formerly Concertgebouw) in Haarlem. In 2006 the Schönberg Ensemble commissioned Meme for two solo violas and ensemble; a year later the 'Zaterdag Matinee' asked Jeths to make a version of this work for chamber orchestra. In the 'ZaterdagMatinee' 2010 his Violin Concerto will receive its premier performance. Momentarily he is working on a violin solo composition for Janine Jansen.
In 2008 Meme was selected as 'Toonzetter': one of the best 10 Dutch compositions of 2007. The CD Yellow Darkness, released in November 2007, received in 2008 the highest possible rating from the Dutch music magazine Luister.
Willem Jeths’ compositions are frequently performed abroad as well as in the Netherlands. The many performances of his works abroad include: A bout de souffle (Brussels, 1993, Paris, 1993, Berlin 1993); Flux/Reflux (Toronto, 2000; Berlin, 2001; Jekaterinenburg, 2002; Oslo); Bella figura (Australia, 2001; USA, 2005); the Bandoneon Concerto (Norway, 2001; France, 2002); Chiasmos (Berlin, 2001); …un vago ricordo (Italy, 2004); Chiascuro (USA, India, Italy); and Intus trepidare (Australia, New Zealand, USA and Europe, 2005); Pianoconcert (Russia, 2008); Seanchai (Czech Republic, 2006); Clarinet Concerto (China, 2007); Fas/Nefas, harp and orchestra version (Switzerland, 2008), Ombre Cinesi (Czech Republic, 2009).
Willem Jeths has taught composition at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg since 2003 and since 2006 he teaches composition at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
Willem Jeths
2009
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Download Donemus brochure (2005)
by Bela Luttmer
www.willemjeths.com
photo: Marco Borggreve
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