The composer

Born in 1936 in Mechelen, Belgium, Vic Nees was the son of Staf Nees, a well known composer and carillon player at Saint Rombouts Cathedral. After studying Literature and Philosophy for a year, he enrolled at the Conservatory in Antwerp and studied harmony, counterpoint, fugue and composition with Marcel Andries and Flor Peeters. He went on to specialize in choral conducting studying with Kurt Thomas in Hamburg. From 1961 he worked for BRT (Belgian Radio and Television), first as a producer and then from 1970 to 1996 as conductor of the radio choir.

He is internationally renowned for his part in the renewal of choral music: firstly as composer and conductor, but also as the inspiration behind many courses in choral conducting and choir festivals, as well as for his contributions to periodicals and the media. In this he shows himself to be well-read, intelligent and humorous (with an affinity for amateur choirs).

He has won many prizes for his work - the Prijs Eugène Baie (1973), the AGEC-prijs (1990), the Vondel-prijs (1995) and the Klara-carrièreprijs (2004).

His compositions are mainly vocal and mostly set in Dutch, but also Latin, French, Catalan, Spanish, English and Japanese… He has a great feeling for language and text, and attaches great importance to comprehensibility. From the beginning he avoided Flemish romantic tradition and developed a restrained clear style in which technique, be it traditional, unconventional or avant-garde is always directed towards intelligent emotion and expression.

Important works:

Vigilia de Pentecostes (1972) - soloists, organ and horn
Magnificat (1981) - soprano solo and mixed choir a capella
Regina Coeli - Blue be it (1988) - 5 part choir, soprano solo and celesta
Anima Christi (1990) - oratorio for soloists, choir, 4 clarinets, double-bass, piano, vibraphone, harpsichord and percussion
Nuestra Señora de la soledad (1991) - contralto, viola and mixed choir
Neusser Messe (1998) - mixed choir, organ and trumpet
Trumpet Te Deum (2003) - high soprano, 2 trumpets and mixed choir
Requiem (2007) - soprano, tenor and mixed choir

Further choral cycles, including Birds and Flowers for Flor's and William's Birthday (1973), Seven Madrigals (1976), Quatre chansons de Flandre (1994), Eight Japanese Folk Songs.

Performers

The Gents Madrigaalkoor aims to captivate the public with interesting choral music of a high standard incorporating romantic and contemporary repertoire, including some of the great classics. Over the years the choir has enjoyed considerable acclaim, both at home and abroad.

Since 1973 Johan Duijck has conducted the Gents Madrigaalkoor. He is a multi-talented musician, a renowned pianist, conductor and composer working mainly in Belgium, England and Spain.

Hilde Coppé is a well known international soloist, frequently asked to sing baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary music. She has worked frequently with Vic Nees, Johan Duijck and the Gents Madrigaalkoor.

Michael Nowak, an Austrian tenor, sang as a treble solo in the Vienna Boys Choir. He is now an established international tenor, singing roles in opera and in concert repertoire, favouring The Passions and Oratorio’s of Bach and Handel.

Noëlle Schepens has worked for many years with Johan Duijck, mainly with the Vlaams Radio Koor, and performs as an alto soloist and conductor. She has set up several choirs. With Amarylca, a girl’s choir, she has tried to go further through emphasis on careful text interpretation and a high level of singing technique. Amarylca has a broad repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant through Handel to the romantic and contemporary music.

The young guitar player Jona Kesteleyn, has an extensive resume and plays on the international stage and in various innovative ensembles. He teaches guitar at several music schools.

The pianists, Maaike De Zitter and Koen Evens, often perform together as a piano duo. They are both piano teachers, Maaike at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven and Koen at the Noord-Limburgs Art Institute in Neerpelt.