My new group premiers this year in Paradox!

January 15 is the official premier of my new group RIOT in Paradox Tilburg during the Fontys Academy of Music & Performing Arts Nederlands Saxofoon Festival with saxophonist/clarinettist/composer Maarten Ornstein and percussionist/composer Bart de Vrees. We are in the process of writing new music as we speak. https://paradoxtilburg.nl/programma/riot-paradox-nls-saxofoonfestival/ It's a very exciting time in which I am rerouting my career to new paths and exploring the edges of styles. ‘RIOT’ is the final concert of the Netherlands Saxophone Festival organized by the AMPA Fontys Conservatory. Saxophonist Ties Mellema, professor of saxophone at AMPA, put together a program that marks the start of a new phase in his career. He will do this together with his new group ‘RIOT’ with saxophonist/clarinettist/composer Maarten Ornstein, percussionist/composer Bart de Vrees and students of the AMPA Conservatory in Tilburg. ‘RIOT’ will premier in jazz club Paradox in Tilburg. Ties, Maarten en Bart are members of the groundbreaking musicians collective ‘Splendor’ in Amsterdam. But their past goes back years. Ties and Bart played together in the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Maarten composed many important solo and ensemble works for Ties. In the mean time the three artists developed themselves, each on their own path. Ties decided to bring them together in a new group called ‘RIOT’ that unites their musical backgrounds into one. In Paradox Tilburg ‘RIOT’ will play new pieces that the trio made together inspired by music of Squarepusher, Boards Of Canada, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Eddie Harris, Johann Sebastian Bach, Aphex Twin, John Coltrane, Claude Debussy, and many others. An evening with soundscapes, sheets of sound, beats, improvisation and above all, everything in between.

My memories of Anner Bijlsma

Coming back from holidays I was struck by sad news: Anner Bijlsma - Unofficial Fanpage passed away. From about 2005 he was my mentor for the Netherlands Music Prize. He coached me on a regular base also after receiving the prize. His way of approaching music and life was and is an inspiration that I will always keep in my heart and mind. 

I remember that during one of my first lessons he told me that the big disadvantage of the saxophone is the risk of singing too much and showing off the sound. It’s part of the nature of the instrument. According to Anner one of the challenges of the saxophone was to make the instrument almost literally speak. Anner did not believe in music that needs a big line. The big line consists of small parts that need a clear pronunciation above everything, according to him. 

I asked him one time if he knew good music that did need a big line. He did: Wagner, but he added right after, that’s not really good music.
His favorite recordings were the ones where music was played with the expression of the composer, not the expression of the musician performing. Much like the evangelist telling the story of Jesus instead of expressing the pain of Jesus himself (because of pure vanity). 

The lessons with Anner came at exactly the right moment for me. It was a couple of years after I graduated with Arno Bornkamp at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam where I received the best education one could have as a saxophonist and musician. But still after a few years I was stuck. I did not find ways to improve my playing significantly anymore. The melody of Demersseman’s Thème (from Fantaisie sur un thème original) for example I played as legato and sustained as I could. I was almost playing it like an opera singer who ignored the consonants. Well, I am probably exaggerating. But my point is that Anner showed me that the line can also be approached from within. Using the intervals, rhythm and harmony to find an interpretation. 

But it wasn’t only this. Anner had such genius associations with music. He was always approaching music as if it was completely new to him. Even playing Bach’s Cello Suites (on baritone saxophone) and Bach’s Flute Partita (alto) he gave me the feeling that he and I were discovering this music for the first time. He realized that Bach’s music (and Mozart and Haydn) could work on saxophone if approached with the right attitude: open and new. He even once said that the future of classical music was in the hands of ensembles like the saxophone quartet who have the chance to give this music a new character by playing it on saxophone and using the consequences of the instrument on the music. 

Anner’s approach to music worked on every form of music. Also Berio’s Sequenza that I played on soprano saxophone. Anner was not a man of effects but always wanted music to have meaning. Every sound always needed a direction and a pronunciation. 

Anner hated the often used technique of circular breathing. Music needs to breath. A wind instrument does this automatically. If you take that away one kills part of the music.

How incredibly fortunate I was to have a session with Willem Breuker, Martin Fondse and Anner together in his house. Willem wrote a piece for me and Hans Eijsackers called “Duty Calls” and Martin a piece called “Roots” (celebrating our common roots in Eiland Tholen). After we had a Calvados. His drink of preference. 

He helped me with personal decisions. Telling me that I should spend as much time as I can with my kids. We had long talks about life, music, about his books on Bach and lots of other stuff. 

He did not like conductors, in general. I once send him a cd of Gustavo Dudamel with his Venezuelan Youth Orchestra that I was particularly fond of. He didn’t spare me and the recording. The man could use the baton he said, but he used the orchestra as an organ. The expression of Mahler and Beethoven was not there he felt. 

A last anecdote, or wise lesson: at one of our first lessons Anner asked me if I could not develop a new mouthpiece. A mouthpiece that makes sound exhaling ánd inhaling. For him, in- and exhaling was like the up and down bow which never should sound the same (hence his obsession with the original bowings in Bach’s Cello Suite which are not as much inconsequent as they are extremely musical!). He was curious if this would work for wind players as well. I told him I couldn’t see this happening. But the idea was an excellent example of Anner’s open mind and an almost childlike creativity. 

Although I didn’t see him much anymore during the last years of my own illness I will miss him deeply. He was a special man, both as a musician and as a person. 

I will miss him.

International Saxophone Masterclass 26/27 March

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES THE AMATEUR WORKSHOP IS CANCELLED ON 27 MARCH

The International Splendor Saxophone Masterclass
for conservatory students and amateurs

FB events here: https://www.facebook.com/events/387810688458490/ (Tuesday); https://www.facebook.com/events/2075680829134341/ (Wednesday); https://www.facebook.com/events/227608594814285/ (presentation concert, Wednesday evening) (application form in Dutch below) On March 26 th and 27th the Amsterdam concert Hall Splendor will be turned into an international saxophone feast. The Axes Saxophone Quartet (Niels Bijl (NL), Fernando Ramos (PT), Jay Byrnes (AUS) and Ties Mellema (NL)) wil be playing and teaching in the Netherlands. A.o. They will teach a masterclass and do a workshop in Splendor. The activities will be open for conservatory students (bachelor and master) and amateurs. 26 March daytime will be the masterclass day for the students. 27 March daytime will be the workshop for amateurs. 27 March evening will be the presentation of a selection of the students, the saxophone ensemble and the Axes Quartet. Costs: 26 March: 75 per lesson (one hour), 50 for the second lesson. (entrance to the evening concert on 27 included) (ex. VAT/BTW) 27 March: 60,- per participant for the day (including the evening concert). (incl. VAT/BTW) 27 March, Concert at 20:15: 10,- Schedule: 26 March, 10:00-1700: Masterclasses for conservatory students by Niels, Fernando, Jay and Ties in separate rooms in Splendor. 27 March, 10:00-17:00: 10:00-11:15 Individual masterclasses in groups 11.15-12.30 - small ensembles. Every teacher will teach an either existing group or a newly formed group (in that case Axes will make sure there is sheet music) 12.30 lunch 13:30-14:30: Axes Saxophone Orchestra made up of participants rehearsal 14:30-16:00: Lectures and Q&A with Axes (how to practice, technique basics, sight reading skills, special saxophone techniques, improvisation) 16:00- 16:30 small ensembles play for each other in the Big Hall of Splendor 16:30-170:00 final Axes Saxophone Orchestra rehearsal 27 March, 20:15 Final presentation concert in Splendor, Amsterdam *A selection of the masterclass students of Tuesday and Wednesday *Axes Quartet *Saxophone Orchestra with participants (Participants fee is including entrance to this concert if you play during the concert. If not the entrance for participants is 3,50)

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About the international Axes Saxophone Quartet Niels Bijl (NL) Niels Bijl centered his musical life around versatility, enthusiasm and making music at a high level. Niels is a driving force behind the development of new repertory for tenor saxophone, the founder of the Axes Quartet, the Baritone institute, co-founder of the Four Baritones, baritone saxophone quartet and an old music specialist with his duo with Ronald Moelker. He is also active in musical theater with actor René Groothof and accordeonist Nico-Jan Beckers (Rood Verlangen). Niels is chamber music coach for the Academia Musica, a private tutor and an esteemed guest teacher at conservatories all over the world. Fernando Ramos (PT) Fernando Ramos is a distinguished Portuguese-based saxophonist. He performs regularly throughout Europe, Latin America and Australasia. As a prominent educator, he tutored a whole a new generation of saxophonists from Portugal and various parts of the globe. He regularly gives workshops and masterclass for all types of sax enthusiasts - from the amateur aficionado to professionals. A graduate from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Fernando is the resident saxophonist of the Oporto Symphony Orchestra and frequently collaborates in projects with the Remix Ensemble and the Casa da Música’s educational department. He teaches at the prestigious Porto Superior School of Music and Performing Arts - (ESMAE) as well as the University of Aveiro. A member of KinetixDuo, QuadQuartet, STP|trio, ~Grain[z] ensembles, he also established the sax ensemble FLUX Collective. Jay Byrnes (AUS) Saxophonist, Arranger and Educator Jay Byrnes, is one of the most pre-eminent faces in the Australian music scene.Jay is acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and rigorous attention to stylistic performance. His passion is to guide students of all ages and levels in the art of music performance. Saxophone Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of music and baritone saxophonist of Nexas Quartet. www.jaybyrnessax.com Ties Mellema (NL) Ties Mellema is not only one of Holland's most prominent saxophonists. He is also an arranger, composer and sound creator. Ties is always looking for new directions in his playing and performance. He has been active in the field of music theatre, electronic music, pop music, jazz music, world music and much more. As a saxophonist he won several prizes, as a soloist like the Netherlands Music Prize (the most important prize a Dutch musician can win) the Vriendenkrans van het Concertgebouw, and as a member of the famous Amstel Quartet, like the New York Concert Artists Guild Award and the Gaudeamus Competition. Ties has played and taught all over the world, from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw to Siberia and from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo. www.tiesmellema.nl _______________________________________ Aanmeldingsformulier (stuur dit naar Ties Mellema op Facebook, cut en paste onderstaande tekst) Ik meld me hierbij aan voor de Axes Saxophone Workshop op 26 en 27 maart in Splendor Amsterdam. Naam: ……………………………………………………….. Adres: ……………………………………………………….. Postcode: ……………………………………………….. Stad: ……………………………………………………….. Emailadres:.................................................. Ik ben vakstudent (26 maart)/liefhebber (27 maart): Ik wil graag … lessen. Ik zou in ieder geval graag les hebben van: …………………………………….. Welk repertoire ga je spelen?: Welke saxofoons speel je?: *Indien van toepassing: Ik meld mij aan met een ensemble: Naam ensemble: Leden ensemble: Bezetting: Opmerkingen: (Wij proberen iedereen zoveel mogelijk in te delen bij de docent van hun voorkeur, maar kunnen dat niet garanderen.) Wij sturen je een bevestiging en voordat de workshop begint een factuur voor het verschuldigde bedrag.

I just had an unexpected passionate conversation about classical music

I never published this blog, which I wrote during my stem cell therapy. I was uncertain about it. But reading it again I think I actually wrote a good piece. Here it is:
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I just had an unexpected passionate and coherent conversation about classical music with one of my nurses in the hospital where I am residing while my resistance is too low to be outside due to my stem cell transplant.

It all began two months ago. I realized that there is so much lying going on in classical music. A lot of times it's too much about persons, about personalities, anything, but not about the music itself. I got cynical. I wanted to get out of the music world. I didn't want to join in anymore. Maybe do a different study and find a different profession. This lasted a week. The realization that I could just stop and do something else set me free and made me not think about it anymore.

But this period left something in me. Something I hope to be able to use when I come back again in 2018. I am not sure how yet. But I know my vision on music has broadened yet again.

The nurse came in and asked me why I wasn't watching Maestro, a popular television in which famous Dutch people try to conduct a professional orchestra, judged by three musical experts. With sometimes hilarious results and sometimes touching beautiful moments where you would least expect them.

But the thing is. I don't watch it, I zapp by it, and go on. This program has an obvious good side. It invites people to find out about classical music, music that they might not know and broaden their horizon. But t's really not about the music. It's entertainment with the goal to get people to listen to a seemingly dying art form. And that's fine. But I need music. The aficionado maestros study their music with a conducting teacher (the magnificent Bas Pollard! Someone that is 200% about music!) and perform their theater show for the jury and the orchestra. The jury gives them marks based on how well they lead the orchestra. And some people are remarkably musical, I have to admit!

But is this it? Is this classical music? At least 100 year old music performed in clothing that is the same age with an orchestra. No, of course not. I am a 'classical' musician as well. I largely gave up performing in orchestras when I was asked one time to play 'less musical' to not stick out so much.

Classical music is so much more. It is 500 years of music history. And it consists of so much more than just orchestras, operas and old (genius) composers. 5 years ago I started a Twitter thing to find a different name for classical music. Like Floris Kortie last week in Podium Witteman I think the term is not good enough. It refers to old music, a stuffy, boring, and old-fashioned scene. But in the end I couldn't find a new term. I think it's best to refer to music in general. Now that I think about it. Maybe classical music should just die, finally! And then incorporate it in the music world as a whole. Could you imagine? Stages where one evening the popular rockband De Staat performs, the next night a saxophone orchestra plays Bach and the following week there's a Beethoven Festival. Wouldn't that be fantastic? No more labels. Just music.

Don't get me wrong. Classical music as entertainment is fine. Of course. I read Dan Brown. Good books, easy reading, short chapters. But I also read Reve and Grunberg. There are also radio and tv shows that focus mostly on substance. But it's less likely that these shows will have a substantial audience.

And that is for the most part because of education. When I brought my kids to school for the first time, the principal thought it was a good thing when he told us that their education focusses on social skills, mathematics and language. And of course these are important things, but there's so much more. When I was in school we got very thorough literature education. Now I know why Dan brown is entertainment (and it is excellent entertainment!) and why Reve is true literature.

But we never learned this with music. When is music entertainment, and when is it 'art music'....?

Dangerous things to ask, especially in these days. In a time when low art becomes high art and the other way around. And that's all fine. But there is music that is just music, honest music.

"Hastings cop holding bone marrow drive in memory of his dad, jazz legend Michael Brecker"

All of a sudden this is so much closer to me than it ever was:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/greenburgh/2017/09/16/hastings-cop-holding-bone-marrow-drive-memory-his-dad-jazz-legend-michael-brecker/659218001/

The son of Michael Brecker, Sam Brecker (a police officer) will do a bone marrow drive. People can test their bone marrow with a simple swab of the cheek. If there is a match they will be asked to donate.

Michael Brecker is one of the reasons I play saxophone. Because of his music I felt like I knew him. I met him once when I was in puberty at the North Sea Jazz. I was a huge fan. For me Brecker was like Michael Jackson or Madonna to my class mates.

And then he died in 2007 from a form of leukemia. He needed a stem cell transplant but couldn't find a suitable donor.

I will receive a stem cell transplant in November, from my own bone marrow, which will be harvested in October.

Round one of the second level

Dear friends,

I am at home right now. Watching the worst movie ever probably 'Ghost in a shell'. I figured while I have the time I might as well watch some movies and catch up. I wasn't going to write. I wanted to share my thoughts when I had something positive. A new reason for all of this. But this movie is just so bad that I wanted to do something worthwhile.

The first time I got lymphoma I used this period of chemo and recovery to go into new directions, to think about what I had been doing and if I wanted to continue on this path.

Last Wednesday I started immunotherapy, and until Saturday I had chemotherapy. Now I am recovering and waiting for my body to get into a good enough shape for the next chemo. In the mean time I have been on the look out for a new reason. But I can't find one. I have to wait until this is all finished and keep an open mind. Even more than before. Because my body might change too much because of the chemo. Or not... I can't tell.

All I know is that I have to deal with this treatment day by day. Deal with the nerve and ear damage that might take place. Deal with the overwhelming nausea, the muscle loss and cramps. Trying to exercise, eat and sleep.

I will try to keep playing the saxophone. But at the same time, I am not sure whether I will still play sax in one year.

To be continued....

All the best,
Ties

Advice for young music professionals and conservatory students

I would have never written a blog with this title before I got cancer. But now I feel I have some things I want to share. I had time to think. About myself, music, life....

1) Do what you like.

Sounds obvious, right? But for me it was hard to even find out what I like and how to choose. It still is. Right now I feel I do not want to go back to the way I lived my life. This may sound dramatic, but the changes can be little. Hardly noticeable even for someone who is not me. I recently read an article online that said that busy people are people who cannot choose. And I think that's true for a lot of people. I do so much different stuff, I was always behind with administration, studying, contacting people. It's very frustrating.

The first thing you have to do is find out what you want to do, what you like to do. And that's not so easy. Especially as a classical musician. We have all of this tradition, composers, musicians, recordings, concert etiquette. A lot of people choose something they go for because people before them did it successfully. Or play music because it is great music. Sounds like a good reason? It's not! There's so much great music out there, but you have to find music that awakens passion in you. And it might not be Bach, and that's ok. You can listen to Bach, but you don't have to play it because he or she did it and recorded it and it became a huge success. Horowitz is great, the Royal Concertgebouw is as well, but it's not the basis of music, it's a road you can go, but you don't have to.

As a saxophonist I wanted to make my life work out of playing the Creston and Denisow Sonatas with my pianist. And they are great pieces, but in retrospect, I like playing with a pianist, but I love to come up with my own ensembles and experiment, do cross-over. My teacher was Arno Bornkamp and he played those sonatas many times per year with Ivo Janssen. And he was my example. So I wanted to do what he did. But there's so much more. Music is art. Is about creativity. Also as a performer.

2) Take composition classes at the conservatory.

As early as you can, learn to play with notes, make up your own, compose, improvise, even as a classical musician. You never know what is going to happen. My buddy Remy van Kesteren is a composer now, he became one in half a year and recorded a cd for Deutsche Grammaphone with his own music. Reall, you never know. And if you don't do anything with it, it at least gives you insight in the composing process.

I do think that classical musicians should start writing their own notes at least partly. We are influenced by Stravinsky and Bach, we see and hear their notes and know we can't do better. Sure, for most of us this is true. But Stravinsky is not you. We've heard what Bach is about, and it's great, but I would love to hear your contemporary comment on it for example.

I found Spotify, despite the obvious criticism of the medium, to be a great tool to find out what I like to listen to.

3) Don't go with the obvious flow.

A conservatory is called that because it wants to conserve music. So what we learn (and what we should learn!) is the stuff people before us did. Like Creston and Denisov. Learn that stuff and in the mean time think about what you want to do. In the last year of your bachelor I think you can have a basic idea of how you want to spend the coming couple of years. Stick with it, and on the other hand, give yourself time to adapt to new developments:

4) Allow yourself to change.

When students come to the conservatory to inquire about the study., they often say (influenced by their parents) that they might study something more 'useful' first and that after that they can always still study music. I would say it's much more logical to do it the other way around.

Motoric development is very important for conservatory and it's just much more flexible when your around 20.

My point is, after conservatory you do not have to stick with it (despite what I wrote earlier). We all develop. In those four years of study you might find out that you have talents in other areas. Meanwhile you did a study which develops the brain and body in a certain way. You learn to be the ultimate multi-tasker, you have spend numerous hours by yourself and with your instrument in a lonely studio, studying and learning about your music and yourself. It's a form of therapy. Those traits always come in handy at some point in your life.

Also within the music area: you can learn about music theatre and decide you want to pursue that. (See number 5) or maybe you wanted to be a soloist and find out that you are really more of a chamber musician.

But in the end it is very important you finish what you were doing. If possible, finish that bachelor study, study the basics, scales, some traditional pieces, different styles, etcetera. It's never for nothing.

5) Be a sponge.

Absorp as much as you can, not only music, but also fine arts, literature, concerts by others, interact with other people, philosophize, etcetera. Because your music has to be about something. In the end we are story tellers. We need a story to tell, experiences in our life.

This is very important: absorp as much as you can and, especially I the beginning of your studies, do not try to form an opinion just yet. Just listen to what's out there and let your taste develop by itself, without your head telling you what to do and feel.

But you also need to find out what's out there. You don't want to rely on releases by the biggest labels and concerts in the largest concert halls to know what's going on in the music world. There's so much more. There are underground concert halls, musicians who work with music theatre, chamber music in so many forms, ... Find out about initiatives like Splendor (splendoramsterdam.com), zaal 100, OT301, about musicians who go their own way, like Remy van Kesteren, Raaf Hekkema, Ralph van Raat, ...

(Picture by Co Broerse)

Done. Now I go on.

I just finished the two performances of the Denisov Concert for alto saxophone and orchestra, the Dutch premier. I felt satisfied about them. I played well and felt good on stage. Also some colleagues commented that they liked my playing. Which is the best test case. A concert is always a bit more exciting with a colleague in the hall.

Right now I am still full of adrenaline. Probably I will crash tonight or tomorrow. But it was certainly worth it. The piece and the people I worked with gave me so much energy. 

Arjan Tien, the conductor, became a good friend of mine while working together. The orchestra was fantastic. They tried so hard to do the Denisov and succeeded! Not only musically (bravo!!) but also production-whise: raise the extra money for the percussion and the rent of the scores. And to programme something  avant-garde-ish like this takes a lot of courage. 

It all came together perfectly!

(Sometimes the best moments for

pictures are right in front of my house)

It was probably a show of a bit too much hubris to undertake this project. But I felt I had to do it. I practiced this piece during my chemo therapy and I wanted to close something off, or rather, start a new period. Not that I am better yet. I still lack muscle power and the fatigue can be quite overwhelming. But not this weekend! I played, and played well, even if I don't count that I had a chemo some weeks ago I can say this. 

Now reset and rest, train, and try to get back in my daily rhythm. Because one the reasons I could do this was that I hardly do anything else yet. But I could never work a week of 50 hours like seven months ago. And maybe I shouldn't anymore. 

Well, that's something I do not want to worry about yet. I want to enjoy this victory. Because although I did not experience the chemo as a fight against cancer, finishing this project successfully feels like a victory.