Patron

Arie van Beek (1951)is a contemporary Dutch conductor with great international experience. In January 2007, De Coolsingers worked on a project together with the copper ensemble of the Rotterdam Academy for Classical Music (Rotterdams Conservatorium), conducted by Arie van Beek. The Military March by Bohuslav Martinů was executed which De Coolsingers performed by themselves earlier the same year. After these very successful performances, Arie van Beek was requested to become Patron of the choir. In the Letter of Recommendation, you can read his experiences with the choir:

“Last January, I conducted a project together with the Rotterdam Academy for Classical Music. In preparation to the Military March by Bohuslav Martinů, I was introduced to the Rotterdam Young Male Voice Choir De Coolsingers. I was greatly impressed by this choir: such flexibility, purity and homogeneity. It was a great pleasure to be working with this choir, very professional. I am sure you are going to hear more of these gents.

Coolsingers, walk on!“

Arie van Beek
Conductor

Peter Jan Wagemans (1952) is a Ducth composer with whom De Coolsingers closelycooperated in the beginning of June, 2007. He composed the opera ‘Spoorloos’ which was part of the program ‘Stad van Verlangen’, a traveling opera in the South of Rotterdam.
De Coolsingers were asked to participate. The opera was executed in te beginning of June 2007 at ‘Las Palmas’, located at ‘de Kop van Zuid’. On the basis of this cooperation, Peter Jan Wagemans wrote a short reference on the Rotterdam Young Male Voice choir and our cooperation:

“In the first week of June, my short opera ‘Spoorloos’ was executed as part of the Rotterdam Opera days. A male voice choir was required as part of this opera, which De Coolsingers accepted. I had never worked together with De Coolsingers, or their conductor Arie Hoek before; it became a pleasant surprise.
It is an active, young choir, with a good tone, good intonation and, as opposed to most male voice choirs, a great willingness to work. Amongst other professionals and specialized musicians, they kept upright. I think we should be happy having this choir around in the Rotterdam music scene.”

Sincerely,
Peter Jan Wagemans
Composer, lecturer at the Rotterdam College of Music, also known as Codarts.