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Adams Musical Instruments - Together in Music

Erik Somers

Erik Somers is a passionate conductor, horn player and arranger and on top of that he is a great and patient pedagogue. Therefore we are pleased that he will lead the conducting workshop during the festival.

Erik Somers studied the horn at the conservatories in Tilburg and Maastricht. He has played in the National Youth Orchestra and played freelance with the Radio Symfonie Orkest, Radio Philharmonisch Orkest, Brabants Orkest, Limburgs Symfonie Orkest and the Metropole Orkest. Besides studying the horn, he studied conducting at the Brabants Conservatorium. He has been conductor of the Zomerorkest Nederland in 1998, 1999 and 2001 and since 2000 he is artistic director and advisor.

Besides playing in orchestras and conducting, he is interested in chamber music ranging from Baroque until contemporary music. He is a member of the Aquarius Ensemble and Xenakis Ensemble (contemporary music), Brabants Barok ensemble, wind quintet 41, Brabant Koperspel and wind ensemble Zuiderwind. Erik has also earned his reputation as an arranger of music for symphonic wind orchestras. Since 2010 he is artistic director of Grachtenfestival aan de Maas. Erik Somers is currently principal conductor of the symphonic wind orchestras in Heythuysen, Hapert and Boxtel, he is also assistant conductor at Harmonie St. Michael Thorn.