C.V. KEES ARNTZEN -  COMPOSER AND VISUAL ARTIST
Kees Arntzen (born Amsterdam, 1957) - paintings and graphic arts.

He studied composition in Vienna with Prof. Friedrich Cerha and later on had lessons with Boguslaw Schaeffer and Daan Manneke. Premieres of his songs, orchestral works and chamber music took place in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Rome, Salzburg and Vienna to name a few places.

Some recent premieres:
- Insect Songs for voice and piano (Vienna 2019)
- Guitar concerto ...dejar abajo...  (Rosario 2019
- Chamber opera 'Tender is the night' (Amsterdam, 2021)
- Songcycle 'Ode to the guitar' (Amsterdam 2020/2021)

MUSIC & ART

Trained primarily as a musician, Kees Arntzen always had a special interest for drawing and painting. No wonder, as his father was a draughtsman and watercolourist. For CREA (cultural institute of the Amsterdam University) he developed a course ‘Painting on Music’ enthousiasmizing amateurs to produce art-works that are inspired by classical and modern music.During the last decade he developed several art- projects in which music and art flow together in a simultaneous experience:

Leuke Spreuken - a series of complicated 12- tone vocal canons with illustrations in black and white, organized around the cyclus of months throughout the year.
The ‘Leuke Spreuken’ drawings were exhibitied in Amsterdam (Vondel CS, Kunstkerk), Weesp (Van Houtenkerk) and Vienna (Ehrbarsaal) and were presented at the Dutch Classical Radio Station ‘Radio 4’

Gia Sena - A continuing series of musical compositions in graphical notation, that at the same time work as a score and as a graphic visual work of art (etching) Works for flute, guitar, harpsichord and piano have been performed so far. Upcoming: works for solo voice, cello, bass clarinet and panflute.

Arie Italiane Antiche - a series of 24 graphic works (lithographies/etchings/ drypoint/ vernis mou) that serve as illustrations to the famous collection of 24 Early Italian Songs and Arias. Together with this collection two CD’s have been produced: one with all 24 arias sung by five different vocal soloists, and one to ‘sing along’. A brandnew paper edition with all the songs published with guitar accompaniments, translations and publications goes along with it.