Composition Portfolio

Felician Honsig-Erlenburg

CONTENT:

• Compositions (selection)
• Documentation and experience as a composer
• Written description

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LETTER OF MOTIVATION (ENGLISH)

My idea to pursue a degree in Music Composition has been sitting and fermenting  for a while and I finally decided to act upon it. The triggering ideas are that I think that I do not have the grasp for music that I think I should have, that I would like to build consistency and because I would very much appreciate the social and collaborative possibilities.

I studied jazz saxophone and recording techniques and I have been writing music for jazz-settings for many years. I have been branching out my instrumental work in recent years to include some work as a songwriter and drummer but it has not been very serious simply because it is also hard and maybe impeding to organise a life around it. So I began to compose more. But many of the improvisation and recording projects that I am currently working on are unpolished compositional exercises that need structuring. I recently also began writing for strings to teach myself. I like making music as in inventing it from my own impulse and I think that with more practice I become better at it. But every musician needs to set their impulses into actual notes and I realised how important consistency and limitations are in doing that. From my rather free-flowing background as an improvising musician I became very dissatisfied with keeping everything all the time “open.” 

This is one broad goal I set for myself – to welcome strictures into the inner theater so that my daemon can have something to contend with. 

The second is simply to make use of collaborations. I feel motivated by the realisability of music and although it is not that important it seems, I sometimes think it is even necessary and something one has to fight for these days . Of course, music is all just a possibility and can be invented as one wishes, and before it is being played it is abstract. Maybe, the “real-life” realities is something no one who wants to become a full person should have to do without. I mean by this the satisfactions and frustrations that come from bringing one’s works into the world – collaborations, artistic relationships and how one can live from this, which should not miss in the equation, and right now it is! 

As an example, some of my compositions are finished but even though I say so, I know that none feels like it really is, unless I impose some sort of formal restrictions. This is also a problem that I have no answer for unless it is put into the context of the real world. Maybe composers of the past did not have this problem but I think I do.

Lastly, I am very far from having tried out a good amount of musical settings, formats and materials and I would like to dive into the possibilities for two years in order to see where my own person feels most at home.

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RESUME _ Felician Honsig-Erlenburg (NEDERLANDS)

OPLEIDING DIPLOMA MUZIEKPRODUCTIE Universiteit van Stavanger Sep 2023-Jan 2024 WO BACHELOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Universiteit Leiden, mineur in Rabat, Marokko 2020 HBO MASTER JAZZ SAXOFOON (mineur in jazz drums) Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag  2015 BACHELOR JAZZ SAXOFOON Berklee College of Music Boston 2007 DIPLOME DE PERFECTIONNEMENT SAXOFOON JAZZConservatoire Paris 2009 VOORSTUDIE SAXOFOON KLASSIEK Konservatorium Klagenfurt 2001-2004 WERKERVARING Freelancer (ZZP’er): saxofonist, songwriter, docent muziek 2004-2022 (bv. Het Talentenhuis Den Haag, de Nederlandse Muziekschool Den Bosch, Geert Groote College Amsterdam etc) Assistent Universiteit Leiden  2022  Cultural Assistant Austrian Cultural Forum Washington D.C.2018  Teaching Fellowship Muziek Universiteit van Oregon 2011 INSTRUMENTEN / KENNISSEN Saxofoon ++++ Fluit +++ Klarinet ++ Ensembleleiding ++++ Zang ++ Drums +++ Gitaar ++ Piano ++ Gehoorvorming ++++ Opnametechnieken ++ Logic Pro ++ Ableton LIve ++ Max MSP + Muziek theorie +++ Songwriting ++ Arrangeren +++ Orchestratie ++  TAALEN Duits – moedertaalEngels –  C2Nederlands –  C2Frans – B2Spaans – B1

BANDS en ENSEMBLES Verschillende Jazz duo’s, trio’s en kwartetten zoals Kleinod, Silent Flux (album), Bim Clatox (album), Erlenblow (album); Songwriting projekten zoals Honey Station (album), Rock bands (Zerohappycampers etc), Royal Conservatoire Big Band, Oregon School of Music Big Band, Trends and Revolts, Jiri Slavik, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Matthias Pichler, Havard Volden, Federico Casagrande, Matheus Nicolaevsky, Erik Ineke, Rob Bargad, David Helbock, Jimmi Hueting, Attila Gyarfas, Yussif Barakt, Owen Hart, Jon Lipscomb, Pedro Branco, GHO Orchestra, Oregon School of Music Big Band  … STUDIOERVARING Amann Studio Vienna, Sky Studios Vienna, Studio Conservatoire Amsterdam, Acoustic Art Studio Vienna, Berklee Studios, Studio Royal Conservatoire The Hague, Studio Conservatoire Paris, PBS Studios Westwood, Slowdown Studio Schiedam, PAF Studio St Erme, Bidston Research Observatory for Artistic Research… ONDERSCHEIDINGEN Berklee College International Scholarship voor saxofoon performance ’04 Berklee College Charlie Parker Award voor saxofoon performance ‘05 Hans-Koller NY Stipendium voor Jazz  studie (Hans Koller Stichting)  ‘08 New Austrian Sound of Music Award in de categorie Jazz ‘09 (Oostenrijks Ministerie voor Cultuur) Leiden Jazz Award Persprijs ‘14