Athenaeum Concert Series: Transmitting Rituals in Music
Marlies Hollevoet (°1997) is a Belgian composer, currently residing in the USA. Their music has been performed by numerous ensembles and musicians, including the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Virago Symphonic Orchestra, Brightwork Ensemble, and the Lilith ensemble. They were recently awarded with the prestigious B.A.E.F Music Fellowship 2022-2023 and the University of Rochester’s Sproull Fellowship to pursue their doctoral studies in composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
Marlies’ music is often based on obsessive rhythms and abstract structures, but never without a sense of humor. They are currently exploring extramusical aspects of performances and how to integrate them into the composition and score and try to create music in an openness to different genres, disciplines and artforms.
Marlies has studied under the guidance of composers Wim Henderickx, Steven Prengels, Bob Morris, Carlos-Sanchez Gutierrez, David Liptak and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon.
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Floris Van der Veken (°1998) is a Belgian saxophonist and performance artist currently residing in Rochester, NY. Commended by Augusta Read Thomas for “his deep musicality and a kaleidoscope of characters and moods,” his performances are characterized by a strong emphasis on contemporary repertoire and interdisciplinary collaboration. The search for new repertoire has led Floris to premiere concertos by composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Marlies Hollevoet, and Wim Henderickx.
Besides performing, Floris is an active researcher and improviser. His research includes the use of extramusical elements by Boulez and Stockhausen, providing theoretical background for interdisciplinary collaborations and improvisations. Floris is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music, after having obtained the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance, studying there under Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. For his work with his saxophone students, Floris was awarded the 2022-2023 Graduate Teaching Assistant Prize.