His career began as a trombonist, but he has been working as a conductor for years now. Since 2021, he has also been doing this for the CineMusic orchestra. Film music stole his heart long before that. “I grew up with classical music. To me, film music was like pop music. I can hum some of John Williams’ pieces down to the smallest detail.”
Do you come from a musical family?
“My father worked as an orchestra attendant at the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Because of that, I was right in the middle of it all. He could often arrange tickets, so even as a young boy, I went to listen to the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Sometimes it was against my will, because I had to listen to things I didn’t like at all. The first thing I genuinely found beautiful was Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. I think I was about eight years old then.”
When did you start playing an instrument yourself?
“I’ve been playing the trombone since I was seven. My uncle played in the Verkade Harmonie. That’s how I entered the world of wind and brass bands. I don’t remember it myself, but my parents always said I wanted to play the trombone from the age of four. When I actually started lessons, I was actually still much too small. My arms were too short. Thanks to my father’s work, I soon had the best teachers around me. I was taught by Hans van Balen, Henk van Bergen, and Jacques Banens. I’ve had lessons from all the trombonists in the orchestra. When I was about eighteen, I ended up at the conservatory.”
Did you always want to make music your profession?
“I’ve been very lucky in my life. At the right moments, I met the right people who helped me get great gigs and jobs. During my student days, I played a lot with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. At one point, a spot opened up in Joop van den Ende’s production of Cats. After that, I had a fantastic time with Joop van den Ende for twenty years.”
How did you become a conductor?
“I took conducting lessons at the conservatory and started conducting many wind and brass bands at a fairly young age. At some point, the musical The Sound of Music came into the picture at Joop van den Ende. There was no place in it for the bass trombone, which is what I play, but I had a permanent contract with Joop van den Ende. Then I got the chance to conduct there as well. Subsequently, I was able to conduct many musicals for ten years.”
Do you still play the trombone?
“Ten years ago, I conducted the last show at Joop van den Ende. The orchestras were getting smaller and smaller, and there was no longer a place for me. So after Wicked, the Joop van den Ende story ended for me, both as a trombonist and a conductor. Then I got the chance to work full-time at the music publishing house Molenaar Edition. In the beginning, I still wanted to keep playing the trombone, because that’s where it all started. But it didn’t work out. I was too busy with Molenaar and conducting, I couldn’t practice a single note, so my playing only went downhill. When I picked up my trombone, it sounded terrible. So I sold all my horns. Fortunately, there is still plenty of music in the house. My wife and daughter play the saxophone, and my son plays the drums.”
How did you get in touch with CineMusic?
“I knew Ruud Luttikhuizen well because he is the pianist for the Zaans Showorkest, where I am the conductor. He came to my work with John and Paul (the initiators) and presented the idea of The CineMusic Experience to me. They really wanted me to become the conductor. Of course, I was immediately incredibly enthusiastic. Film music, a symphony orchestra… John said: ‘Henk, if this goes the way I think it will, it will change your career.’ Yet, when they closed the door, I thought, ‘we’ll never see them again. These are just dreamers who have no idea what’s involved.’ I even forgot to tell my wife about it that evening. But they persisted, and miraculously, I am now conducting in theaters across the Netherlands. It’s a dream!”
Have you always been a fan of film music?
“Yes, definitely. I was raised and trained classically, and listened to a lot of Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, and the like. In that context, film music is the pop music of classical music. When I wanted some relaxation or was traveling from place to place in the car, I would put on film music. It’s a kind of classical-light. I played John Williams’ music so often that I could hum along to the smallest detail.”
It’s whispered that you also like metal…
“After I was let go by Joop van den Ende, something changed in my musical life. I could no longer relax with classical music. It was too loaded. During that time, I grew towards “heavy noise,” towards metal music. Mainly because metal has nothing to do with the music I grew up with. I could listen to music just to listen to music for what it is. Not to see how it was played, whether it was beautiful, in tune, whether it was played in sync, or if the conductor was good enough, so to speak. It was just pure music; vibrating air. And… it’s really not just noise. Rammstein, Disturbed, and Kamelot have also made truly beautiful ballads. The singers grunt and growl, but besides the ‘animal sounds,’ they can often sing very well. Real vocal artists.”
How did you go about putting the CineMusic orchestra together?
“Initially, we chose a mix of classical and light music musicians. Later, it turned out the emphasis would be on symphonic music, and we arrived at the current line-up, with a full string orchestra. Hester van der Vlugt took charge of the string orchestra. Ruud Luttikhuizen, Sebastian Ohm, and I handled the rest. We needed wind players who can basically do everything. So both classical and light. And that’s how I got back in touch with the musicians I met thirty years ago at the musicals and had lost touch with 10 years ago. Musical musicians are actually circus performers. They are all-rounders.”
What is it like to have 36 musicians in front of you?
“I love working with this orchestra. The atmosphere is fantastic, and for that, you can give all the credit to Paul and John, who transformed the orchestra into a family in no time by taking very good care of them. With a standard dinner for all staff before the show starts and plenty of attention and compliments, they really do that very well. John always says he wants to connect, and he does. Last year we only played seven performances, but he managed to make it feel like it’s the orchestra for everyone. It’s not a gigging orchestra. It’s a family.”
What do you find important in your work?
“My challenge is to have a happy orchestra that loves playing this music and to give the audience the night of their lives. I want to have fun in life, I want to see smiling faces in the orchestra, and when I turn around, I want to see that in the audience too. I want happiness around me.”
The first shows of this season are now over. Is there one you are particularly looking forward to?
“It doesn’t matter much to me whether I play in Alkmaar, Tilburg, or Spijkenisse. But the Bullekerk is the place where I feel most comfortable. I also play there with the Zaans Showorkest. It’s like a living room with a pub in it and a fantastic atmosphere, with managers I get along with well. Moreover, the acoustics are great. When I walk through the hall, I run into people I know. So for me personally, the Bullekerk is the place where I feel at home.”
If you could dream out loud, what would you still like to do with CineMusic?
“I would love to have André Rieu as our opening act, haha. That’s a joke, of course. But I wish for John, the orchestra, and myself that this becomes a very big success.”