Maastricht composer Jesse Passenier in world premiere with VU Orchestra

On Sunday 24 May, the VU Orchestra will give a matinee at Theater aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht. Led by conductor Arjan Tien, An American in Paris by George Gershwin and work by Maastricht composer Jesse Passenier, who brings together classical and jazz in an orchestral context, will be heard.

Top soloists and orchestra
The concert centres on Passenier's project Fight for Light, in which he gives a contemporary interpretation of the solo concerto tradition. His Piano Concerto No. 1 'Levensdrift' and Vibraphone & Marimba Concerto No. 1 'Becoming the Colour' will be performed by virtuoso soloists Kari Ikonen (piano) and Vincent Houdijk (vibraphone and marimba). In the process, the 88-member VU Orchestra, consisting of students, makes itself heard as a tightly playing ensemble with strong musicality and drive.

Special significance
For Maastricht, this concert has special significance. Passenier, attached to the Conservatorium Maastricht as a teacher and artistic director of orchestral projects, brings his award-winning work to life here. His albumFight for Light was awarded a silver medal at the Global Music Awards in 2023. For his ability to connect musical genres and his strength as an orchestral composer, he received the Rogier van Otterloo Award in 2017.