Staff profile

John Snijders was born in Heemskerk (the Netherlands) in 1963. He studied at the Royal Conservatory The Hague with Geoffrey Madge (piano), Stanley Hoogland (fortepiano) and Louis Andriessen (composition).

In 1985 he won first prize at the Berlage Competition for Dutch chamber music. He performed as soloist with a.o. the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Brussels Philharmonic, The Hague Philharmonic, Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Chamber Orchestra and Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra. From 1988 until 2013 he was a member of the Nieuw Ensemble Amsterdam. In 1986 he founded the Ives Ensemble, of which he continues to be pianist and artistic director. Since 2013 he is a member of the contemporary music groups Ensemble7Bridges and E7B Soundlab.

Both as a soloist and with these groups he has performed extensively at most major music festivals in Europe such as Festival d’Automne (Paris) Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Wien Modern (Vienna), Ars Musica (Brussels), Musica (Strasbourg), Settembre Musica (Turin), Bienale di Venezia (Venice).

Furthermore he has worked extensively as a rehearsal coach for Netherlands Opera, Dutch Travel Opera, Holland Festival, WDR Köln, English National Opera. In 2008 he was teacher of piano and chamber music at the Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos de Jordão (Brazil). Also in 2008 he was awarded the Muziekgebouw Prize 2008 for the performance of NYConcerto for piano and chamber orchestra by Richard Rijnvos.

Several composers wrote pieces especially for him such as Gerald Barry, Christopher Fox, Richard Rijnvos, Gerard Brophy, Ivo van Emmerik, Rodney Sharman, Richard Ayres and Clarence Barlow.

Since January 2013 he is head of Music Performance at Durham University.

His research interests focus on piano performance practice in the 19th century, the American avant-garde, especially Morton Feldman and John Cage, music of extended duration, establishing connections between contemporary music and contemporary visual arts, and sound art.

• Connections between contemporary music and contemporary visual arts
• Performance Practice in 19th Century Piano Repertoire
• Performance Practice of the works of Morton Feldman and John Cage

Authored book

• Snijders, J. (2023). Ixion. Marmelade Publishers of Visual Culture

Chapter in book

• Snijders, J. (2021). That is not Freedom, that is taking License: the pitfalls in performing Morton Feldman's graphic scores. In A. Hamilton, & L. Pearson (Eds.), The Aesthetics of Imperfection in Music and the Arts: Spontaneity, Flaws and the Unfinished (166-175). (New Ed.). Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350106086.0029

Composition

• Snijders, J. (2017). Afternoon (Faun). [score]
• Snijders, J. (2008). Stockhausen: Plus Minus. [CD]

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. CD: Luc Ferrari - Sexolidad
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, N. CD: Elliott Carter - Homages and Dedications
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. CD: Richard Rijnvos - Block Beuys
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, N. CD: Theo Loevendie - Chamber Music
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: Ivo van Emmerik - Chamber Music
• Snijders, J., & Rijnvos, R. CD: Richard Rijnvos - Chamber Music
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: Morton Feldman - String Quartet
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: Morton Feldman - Piano and String Quartet
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: John Cage - Ten, Fourteen, Ryoanji
• Snijders, J., Haar, J. T., & Haar, J. T. CD: Clarence Barlow - Musica Derivata
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, N. CD: Roberto Gerhard -- Portraits and Horoscopes
• Snijders, J., Fox, C., & Ensemble, I. CD: Christopher Fox - Themes and Variations
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: Morton Feldman - String Quartet (II)
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: John Cage - Two, Five, Seven
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. CD: Aldo Clementi - Madrigale
• Snijders, J., & Rijnvos, R. CD: Ives Ensemble plays Ford, Ayres, Hamel, Rijnvos, van Emmerik, Carl
• Snijders, J., Haar, J. T., Sanderse, R., & Haar, J. T. CD: Morton Feldman - Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, N. CD: Music from Theresienstadt
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. (online). Rijnvos Riflessi
• Snijders, J., & Rijnvos, R. CD: Richard Rijnvos - Uptown|Downtown
• Snijders, J., Ensemble, N., & Ferneyhough, B. CD: Brian Ferneyhough - Shadowtime
• Snijders, J., & Haar, J. T. CD: Morton Feldman - For John Cage
• Snijders, J., Haar, J. T., & Haar, J. T. CD: Morton Feldman - Trio
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. (2017). Laurence Crane - 6 Trios, 2 Solos and 1 Quintet
• Snijders, J. (2017). 2017: Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories & Piano (hat(now)ART 2051 & 2052
• Snijders, J. (2008). CD 'Transatlantic Swing'

Performance

• Snijders, J., & Fox, C. Recital Slewe Amsterdam. [Performance]. Performed at Amsterdam (NL). 10 November 2019
• Snijders, J. (in press). Performance as part of the exhibition "Oeuvres", curated by me in Gallery Slewe, Amsterdam. Works by Morton Feldman, Laurence Crane, Tom Johnson, John Cage. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands. 24 August 2015
• Snijders, J. (in press). Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands. 24 August 2015
• Snijders, J., Ensemble, I., & Levi, K. Morton Feldman's Crippled Symmetry. [Performance]. Performed at Amsterdam, Eindhoven (NL). 24 February 2018
• Music by Eric Egan, Donnache Dennehy, Gerald Barry, Andrew Hamilton. [Live Concert]. Performed at Durham, England
• Snijders, J., Lixenberg, L., & Ensemble, I. Ives Ensemble at MUSICON. [Performance]. Performed at Durham, England. 10 February 2018
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. Ives Ensemble in MUSICON. [Performance]. Performed at Durham, England. 23 February 2019
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. Charles Ives Portrait Concert. [Live Concert]. Performed at Tilburg, 's-Hertogenbosch, Wageningen, Leiden, Utrecht, Netherlands
• Music by Christopher Fox, Laurence Crane, Karel Goeyvaerts, Morton Feldman. Luciano Berio, James Rolfe, Andrew Toovey. [Live Concert]. Performed at Durham, England
• Snijders, J., Schreer, M., Garner, J., & Kost, G. Contrazontal Launch Concert. [live performance]. Performed at Newcastle, England. 10 October 2021
• Snijders, J., & Fox, C. World Premiere of Christopher Fox "The Red Studio". [Studio Recording]. Performed at London, England
• Snijders, J. Charles Ives - Concord Sonata. [Live Concert]. Performed at Durham, England
• Music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Arthur Louriè, Nikolai Roslavets. [Live Concert]. Performed at Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Music by Alvin Lucier, James Tenney. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., Ensemble, I., & Barker-Mill, A. Rijnvos Portrait. [Performance]. Performed at Amsterdam (NL). 22 September 2019
• Snijders, J., Rossum, P.-J. V., & Ensemble, I. World première of "Annette" cycle by Piet-Jan van Rossum. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J. Recital in MUSICON. [Performance]. Performed at Durham, England. 19 November 2019
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. Charles Ives Portrait Concert. [concert]. Performed at Arnhem, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., Bustin, J., & Gryn, I. The Nijinsky Project - Afternoon (Faun). [Performance]. Performed at London, England. 7 July 2018
• Snijders, J. Feldman in Middelburg (Palais de Mari & Piano). [Performance]. Performed at Middelburg, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., Ensemble, I., Boogman, W., & Roozen, A. Ives Ensemble in Amsterdam. [Performance]. Performed at Amsterdam (NL). 12 December 2019
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. Nevenwerk, works by Kazimierz Serocki, Gérard Pesson, Gerald Barry, Aldo Clementi, Iannis Xenakis, Richard Rijnvos. [Concerts]. Performed at Amsterdam, Den Haag, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., & Rijnvos, R. Ives Ensemble in Nijmegen. [live performance]. Performed at Nijmegen, Netherlands. 26 September 2021
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. John Cage Portrait Concert. [concert]. Performed at Nijmegen, Netherlands
• snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. Ives Ensemble in UK. [Performance]. Performed at Durham, London (England). 26 October 2019
• Snijders, J., & Bustin, J. Afternoon (Faun). [https://vimeo.com/698764727]. Performed at London, England. 13 February 2022
• Snijders, J., Schreer, M., Garner, J., & Kost, G. Contrazontal Launch Concert. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75YQAoZoaTA&t=5s&ab_channel=DurhamUniversityMusicDepartment]. Performed at Durham, England. 2 November 2021
• Snijders, J., Bismuth, P., & Ensemble, I. New Ears Salon – with visual artist Pierre Bismuth Music by Pierre Bismuth, Diego Borello, Arnold Schoenberg. [[Media unknown]]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. John Cage Portrait Concerts. [concerts]. Performed at Soest, Germany
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Foc, C. Recital in Zutphen. [Performance]. Performed at Zutphen, Netherlands. 16 May 2019
• Music by John Cage, Christopher Fox, Eric Egan, Gerald Barry, Laurence Crane. [Live Concert]. Performed at London, England
• Snijders, J., Fiselier, F., & Ensemble, I. What a Ball! Works by Aldo Clementi, Wolfgang Rihm, Joël Bons, Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc. [concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J. (in press). Morton Feldman - Triadic Memories. [concert]. Performed at Durham, England. 1 March 2017
• Snijders, J. John Cage - The Seasons. [live performance]. Performed at Otterlo, Netherlands
• Snijders, J., Rijnvos, R., & Ensemble, I. Nevenwerk II. [Performance]. Performed at Amsterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht (NL). 11 April 2019
• Snijders, J., & Group, B. C. M. Concert with works by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Charles Ives, Elliott Carter. [concert]. Performed at Cardiff, Wales
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. either end of the SCALE, works by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Stefan Wolpe, Laurence Crane, John Cage, Morton Feldman. [concerts]. Performed at Durham, England
• Snijders, J., & Dolphin, G. Gnossiennes. [CD & video]. Performed at Sunderland & Durham, England. 5 March 2022
• Music by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Franz Liszt, Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Morton Feldman. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J. Recital in Tilburg. [Performance]. Performed at Tilburg, Netherlands. 25 September 2018
• Snijders, J., & Ensemble, I. Charles Ives Portrait Concert. [Live Concert]. Performed at Middelburg, Netherlands
• Music by John Cage, Erik Satie, Alvin Lucier. [Live Concert]. Performed at Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Snijders, J. Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage. [Live Concert]. Performed at London, England
• Snijders, J. (2012). Sonatas and Interludes by John Cage. [CD]. Performed at Fonteyn Ballroom, Durham. 28 November 2012 - 28 November 2012
• Snijders, J. (2010). Premiere of Rijnvos's 'Die Kammersaengerin' as artistic director, producer and musical director. [[Media unknown]]. Performed at Theater Kikker, Utrecht (Netherlands)
• Snijders, J. (2008). Premiere of Richard Rijnvos's 'NYConcerto'. [[Media unknown]]. Performed at Concertgebouw Amsterdam