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The Dutch choral conductor, composer, singing coach, music storyteller, and former music teacher, Martien Hovestad, lives with music since birth. He studied at Artez Conservatorium in Zwolle (1977-1983). Since September 1986 he has been conductor of the Zwols Vocaal Ensemble (= ZVE), which he founded. He composes and arranges choral and other musical works, gives listening courses on classical music and was a music teacher.
Martien Hovestad teacher of music and religion at Mavo Irminloo (now Groevenbeek) in Ermelo (August 1981-February 2000). Until his retirement at the end of 2018, he taught music at the Meander College in Zwolle for almost 20 years (September 1999-January 2019), where he and colleague Albert Dam helped the music profession flourish. He introduced students to classical music and singing. An undeniable highlight in his musical career was conducting the school choir Meander Vocaal, with which he regularly gave concerts, usually in collaboration with Jeugdsymfonieorkest De Vuurvogel conducted by Albert Dam. With his innovative insights he had local, regional and national significance for music education.
With his ZVE, Martien Hovestad strives for the broadest possible repertoire, with composers from many European countries, from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Major classical works by J.S. Bach and WW.A. Mozart are performed. He is always deeply touched by music in which dying and death are central and composers show their deepest feelings. With the ZVE he performed the Requiems of W.A. Mozart, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, John Rutter and Herbert Howells.
Already in 1979, when Martien Hovestad's career as a conductor began and he founded the Zwolse Jongerenkoor Genesis (now Anthem), he developed a great affinity with English liturgical music and the associated, very high-level singing technique. Many concerts with the ZVE testify to this. Martien Hovestad is constantly looking for new musical paths, as evidenced by the varied and surprising concert programs he puts together. This includes, for example, the beautiful concert ‘Over liefde en Vergankelijkheid’(About Love and Transience) with secular music, including four songs for solo voice by Robert Schumann, Schubert and Johannes Brahms, arranged by him for choir.
As a composer, Martien Hovestad is active with choral works such as Ave Maria, Imitatio (four motets on a text by Thomas à Kempis), Salve Regina, Da Mihi Domine. He also composed choral works based on texts by the Zwolle poet Anna Hoogendoorn: Maria, Kathedraal, Zing de leegte, De Vier Seizoenen and Licht en Leven, a work for choir and bass clarinet. Between November 2020 and March 2021 he wrote eight compositions for choir and one for cello solo, all works with the subtitle ‘composities in coronatijd’ (compositions in corona time).
Martien Hovestad counts the many concert trips with the ZVE to England, Germany, Denmark and Sweden as highlights of his career.
In 2019, Martien Hovestad has been a choir conductor for forty years. A party that is celebrated with two concerts. The ZVE sings in the famous Kathedraal van Canterbury and a major anniversary concert will take place in the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Basiliek in Zwolle. When the last notes of the choir have sounded, a complete surprise follows for Martien, the crowning achievement of his career as a conductor. Mayor Snijders of Zwolle takes the floor and presents him with the honorary medal of the city of Zwolle. The person and conductor Martien Hovestad cannot be better characterized than with these words from the mayor's speech: 'With his great talent, he guides and inspires young and old to get the best out of themselves.' |
