Education

He studied music theory from 1978 to 1984 and composition from 1982 to 1985 at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague with Peter Schat en Jan van Vlijmen. He attended courses in Poland and Germany (Darmstadt Summercourse) in 1982 and in 1998 he studied Digital Recording & Mixing at the College of Multimedia in Amsterdam. In 2002 he followed a course in choral conducting.

Activities

Since 1984, he teaches music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, and since 1995 composition and instrumentation at the Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam. In 1992 and 1997 he was a member of the jury at the International Composition Competition ‘Queen Elisabeth’ in Brussels (Belgium) and in 1998 at the National Composition Contest in Taipei (Taiwan). In 2001 he was visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Music in London and composer-in-residence at the Europäisches Musikfest Münsterland.

He has been commissioned twice by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Performances

His compositions have been performed by almost all the Dutch orchestras and ensembles: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Holland, The Hague Philharmonic, ASKO|Schönberg Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble, Radio Chamber Philharmonic and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Conductors were Riccardo Chailly, Oliver Knussen, Markus Stenz, Robert Spano, Neeme Järvi, Claus-Peter Flor, Christopher Hogwood, Hans Vonk, Lev Markiz, Lucas Vis, Ed Spanjaard, Jac van Steen, Reinbert de Leeuw, Jan Stulen and Jurjen Hempel.

Foreign ensembles and orchestras that have performed his work are: Toronto Symphony Orchestra, cond. Peter Oundjian, Gewandhausorchester, cond. Riccardo Chailly, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, cond. Tan Lihua, London Sinfonietta, cond. David Atherton, Ensemble Musikfabrik, cond. Johannes Kalitztke, Klangforum Wien, cond. Beat Furrer, Münchener Kammerorchester, cond. Christoph Poppen, Bochumer Symphoniker, cond. Jac van Steen, The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Tetsuji Honna, Tanglewood New Music Ensemble, cond. Robert Spano, Esprit Orchestra Canada, cond. Alex Pauk, Absoluut(te)? Ensemble New York, cond. Kristjan Järvi, Psappha North England, cond. Nicholas Kok, Brodsky Quartet, and the Gageego Ensemble Sweden.

He has written vocal music for Olaf Bär and the National Youth Choir Holland, cond. Wilma ten Wolde.

Verbey has been a guest at festivals such as the Donaueschinger Musiktage 1992 (Germany), and had his music performed at Tanglewood

New Music Festival 1993 (USA), Holland Festival 1996, Ultima Festival Oslo 1996 (Norway), Music Tapei 1998 (Taiwan), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 1999 (United Kingdom), La Biennale Venezia 2007 (Italy), Cello Biennale 2007 Amsterdam.

(Contribution by Eileen Stevens <ejoy@wanadoo.nl>; Source: Donemus)