Biography
Geerte is a Dutch violinist and workshop leader with a special interest in instant composition, community art and somatic body work. In her work the violin, movement, voice and text are all integrated creating a rich and unique world of sounds and images. She collaborates and produces new work with a variety of international artists from various backgrounds. To share her passion for music and composition with others, Geerte facilitates workshops for a wide range of art students and communities.
Geerte started playing the violin when she was 4 years old. She was accepted in 2002 to the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the Young Talent Class, where she studied with Hans Scheepers. She continued her violin studies with Ilona Sie Dhian Ho and received her Bachelor of Music in June 2013. Inspired by its rich and experimental music seen she moved to London where she specialized in improvisation, cross-arts, and community art as part of the Artist Masters Program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She graduated in 2015 with her final research performance ‘Interbeing'. Interbeing is a piece for 8 moving string players exploring the space between sound and movement. Geerte recently finished her studies in the Embodied Life Art Program, a two-year program directed by Marisa Grande and Iris van Peppen which focuses on somatic body work, instant composition, and the integration of this knowledge in society. |
Together with Maaike van der Linde Geerte is the founder and artistic director of Art Root Collective. A growing collective of young musicians with a refugee background and Dutch musicians whom are all looking for connection and creative collaboration. Other projects as workshop leader and coach include Ludwig's Music and Dementia Program, Pronkstukken projects from TivoliVredenburg, Sounds of Change, Artez Connecting the Dots, Codarts Incubator and HKU CAP Project.
Geerte has a wide range of teaching experience including the work with young children in the Muziek Route (an ongoing creative music program in primary schools, Overvecht) and Muziqu (music for young talented children in Utrecht). Currently she is developing a new trajectory for Muziqu named Ondersteboven! in which de Makersclub (a collective of composing and improvising children) is traveling through Utrecht. Through her practice in improvisation, composition and creative music making Geerte developed into an innovative and experimental teacher. She is teacher and coach at the HKU Utrechts conservatorium helping young musicians to become authentic makers, players and performers with a broad vision of art and specifically music. Her lessons include improvisation, composition and focus on the personal development and interests of the student including a wide variety of music stiles and techniques. Geerte is active member of Blink Quartet, BuddyBody Trio, the Moving Strings and Geografie Umane. From September 2015 till April 2016 Geerte lived and worked in Tanzania. It was an adventure in which she got the chance to work, play, sing, dance, create, explore and exchange with international and local communities in Tanzania and surrounding countries. |
Geerte is very thankful for the scholarships she received from the Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds, VSB Fonds, Stichting de Fundatie van de Vrijvrouwe van Renswoude and Guildhall Scholarship towards her studies in London.
