HKU Conservatorium teacher Anne-Maartje Lemereis elected as Composer of the Fatherland

Since her graduation at HKU in 2016, Anne-Maartje has been working as teacher and mentor at her former school. ‘It is an honour to be carrying this title for the next two years. I want to spend this time focusing on music education, which I want to apply more broadly and make available to as many people as possible. But as part of this education, I also want to focus on creating. Not just reproducing the compositions of other, but writing my own works.’

At 34 years of age, the HKU teacher is the youngest Composer of the Fatherland so far. Nonetheless, she managed to impress the jury, consisting of Driana van Dooijeweert, Makira Mual, Guy van Hulst and Bert Palinckx. Quoting from the jury report: ‘Anne-Maartje has an original mind who can respond playfully to today’s current events. She also convinces with her recent work as a composer. She displayed her social involvement to the jury, along with her vision on how to position music education in the Netherlands.’

Ambassador

The coming two years, Anne-Maartje will respond to current events in society with her compositions. Additionally, she will serve as an ambassador and defend the interests of anyone involved in the music world, from composers and musicians to music teachers.

The position of ‘Componist des Vaderlands’ is an initiative from BUMA Cultuur (the branche organisation that promotes the interests of the Dutch music industry) to lend a figurehead to the Dutch music sector. Anne-Maartje is the fifth composer to carry this title, following in the footsteps of Willem Jeths (2014-2016), Mayke Nas (2016-2018), Callliope Tsoupaki (2018-2021) and Martin Fondse (2022-2024).