When he hears Ruud Luttikhuizen playing the grand piano, he thinks, “I’d like to do that too.” Fortunately, Paul uses his own talent to make The CineMusic Experience a success story. A story that Paul enjoys immensely.
What is your role at CineMusic?
“Together with founder John van der Sluijs and artistic director Stef Heijnen-Bakker, I am responsible for the entire operation – that means that together we ensure that everything runs smoothly around the concert show. I am also responsible for communication. We are a young organization and together we come up with the right strategy and execution. Theater is relatively new to me, so we consult a lot to get things done well with the theaters, in terms of production, technology and marketing.”
What are you proud of?
“The CineMusic Experience is a grandiose idea that has become reality. You don’t often experience that. You can also see that it is a huge hit with the public. Last season we attracted full houses. We are seeing that happen again now. Advance sales for the new season are fantastic, even though it is still almost half a year before we start playing. It is unique to experience something like this.”
Did you already have experience in the music and theater world?
“Yes and no. I sang in a choir for a long time. I also had three years of organ lessons as a young boy and later had some piano lessons with pianist Ruud Luttikhuizen. And I really enjoyed being with an amateur musical association, The Cast, for 10 years. But organizationally… No, that’s not my background.”
What is your relationship with film and film music?
“I love adventure films. And because I have been involved with music a lot myself, I have always appreciated the role of film music. But since I became involved with CineMusic, I have become even more aware of how big the role of music actually is in films. I really started listening differently. The music of a John Barry, John Williams, or Hans Zimmer possesses such richness. I think that’s very beautiful.”
Do you come from a musical family?
“My father and sister can sing well. My brother too, but he doesn’t do anything with it, while my father always sang in a choir and even performed with his sister. I have always been involved in singing myself. I think that is a nice, pleasant way to express yourself. Singing makes you happy.”
What music do you listen to in your spare time?
Oh, that’s very different. I like listening to classical music, Mozart, Bach, Rachmaninoff… But also to soul and jazz music. Previously, I also listened a lot to symphonic rock from Supertramp and Pink Floyd. I also like pop music, especially Joe Jackson, Pat Metheny, Genesis or Sting.”
Which instrument would you like to be able to play well yourself?
Yes, that’s the triangle. Haha, no way. But when I walk through the foyer of the theater, I often get the question of whether I also play in the orchestra. Then I like to say that I auditioned for the triangle, but that they just removed this instrument from all the scores. But seriously: I would like to be able to play the grand piano well. When I am somewhere, at friends or in a small hall, and there is a piano, it always has an attraction for me. I always have to tinker a bit. It may not be much, but I can always express my feelings in it.”
What do you find special about Cinemusic?
“That we have brought together a fantastic group of people from a very beautiful background. We have talented musicians, people who are very good at editing videos, someone who knows very well how to put on a show, the guys from the technology who are working hard from morning to night… Everyone does everything they can to make it happen in the theater. I think it’s great to be a part of that.”
Which piece of music gives you goosebumps?
“Those are several pieces. I can get goosebumps when Hester plays Schindler’s List. When the new theater season was presented in Assen, she played it together with pianist Ruud Luttikhuizen. That really hit home. But I can also really enjoy Laurel and Hardy. I have seen the fragments dozens of times, but I still find them very funny. The humor that those two made is so timeless and so original. That really makes me laugh.”
Did you expect The CineMusic Experience to be such a success?
“After the very first performance in the Bullekerk in Zaandam, I got the feeling that there was more to be achieved. The reactions from the audience were so positive! We decided to try to see if we could get into the small theaters in North Holland, but that was hopeless. The programmers didn’t know us. Then we took the plunge and rented several churches ourselves to play there. This did mean that we had to arrange the ticket sales ourselves. It was an exciting time, because the real peak in ticket sales always came only a few weeks before the performance. But we succeeded! During that same period, we came into contact with our current agency, George Visser Productions. Thanks to them, we were in 18 theaters last season and there are 30 performances on the agenda for the coming season.”
CineMusic has grown bigger and bigger in recent years. What influence does that have on your work?
“I have been an independent entrepreneur for ten years and I really enjoy the work I do. From Colouring Media I provide media advice based on communication research and analysis models. I do that for a number of regular customers. When I first started at CineMusic, I worked one day a week for this concert show. That has now become at least two per week, but there are also weeks when I work four days on CineMusic. That is possible because I am an independent entrepreneur. My days are full and the weekends often are too.”
What do you still want to achieve with CineMusic?
“In the short term, I would like us to conquer the Netherlands. That the public really gets to know us and that we can be compared to the quality of, for example, the Metropole Orchestra. And then? To Germany, Belgium, France and Great Britain, that would be nice. I dare to dream that far. Well… and an even bigger dream is that we will be booked for a concert show in Las Vegas, haha.”