In 2022, Renske Vrolijk (1965) stepped into the spotlight when the Netherlands Chamber Choir performed her semi-autobiographical music theatre piece, #uncut. This performance guides the audience through her journey to becoming the composer she is today. It perfectly captures the essence of her art: for Vrolijk, vocal and instrumental music is a medium to convey a message and an emotion.
The foundation: a vat of vocal music
Vrolijk describes her musical start as ‘falling into a vat of magic potion’. This transformative experience happened at a young age at choir school. Vocal music has since formed the foundation of her musical thinking. She later honed this foundation during her composition studies. From 1989 to 1994, she studied at the Sweelinck Conservatorium. Her teachers there were Daan Manneke and Geert van Keulen.
Music remained a constant factor throughout her life. Alongside this path, she worked for many years as a web editor. She held positions at the Dutch broadcaster NCRV and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
A growing and versatile oeuvre
Throughout her career, Vrolijk has worked on a steadily growing body of work, spanning various genres and instrumentations.
Works with a theatrical element
A common thread in her work is the combination of music and theatre. This began with her graduation project De reis (The Journey, 1994) and continued in works such as:
- Charlie Charlie (2007): With Calefax Reed Quintet, among others, about traveling on the Hindenburg airship.
- Ghost Wall (2009): For Brisk Recorder Quartet, about voices trapped in the walls of old buildings.
- Whirly Girls (2010): For the Electra ensemble, about female aviation pioneers Amelia Earhart and Hanna Reitsch.
- After Dinner Toast (2011): For VocaalLab, about the invention of the phonograph.
Instrumental and chamber music
She has written various pieces for ensembles, including:
- gROUND (2003): For the ensemble Combustion Chamber.
- Squawk Box (2007), Sidewalk bend (2009), and Lachrymae (2010): For the Amstel Quartet.
- Drift (2023): For the soniq.art Saxophonquartett.
Surprising sounds for carillon
Her compositions for carillon often combine the instrument with a soundtrack. Square Prayer (2006) nearly knocked surprised passersby off their bicycles during its premiere in Gdansk with its combination of bells, shouting people, and rolling coins. In Music Box (2008), the oldest known recording of a human voice eventually displaces the carillon, and in 2018, her short piece America premiered in Chicago.
The leap: full-time composer
The crowning achievement came in 2022 with the performance of #uncut (composed in 2020) for the Nederlands Kamerkoor, Bl!ndman [sax], ORBI, and three vocal soloists. As a direct result of this success was a follow-up commission from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for the children’s performance De neus (The Nose).
With this prestigious commission secured, Vrolijk took the leap. Since 2023, she has been working as a full-time composer and also teaches at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Arnhem.
Since #UNCUT she composed the True Love Song Cycle for soprano Bauwien van der Meer, Drift for the Berlin based Sonic.art quartet and The nose, a light-hearted children’s performance commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Sheet Music and Publisher
The sheet music for her works is available through her publisher, Deuss Music.