Floris Heemskerk - Composer

Apr 25

Up-and-coming Dutch media composers show their recent work and tell us who they are

Floris Heemskerk is a driven composer and artist from Amsterdam with a profound love for film music. He recently returned from a transformative journey to Los Angeles, where he worked as an intern under the guidance of esteemed film composer Vidjay Beerepoot. This opportunity allowed him to immerse himself in the rich landscape of the film industry in Los Angeles, delving deep into the intricacies of the craft while assisting Vidjay on his latest film project.

After this journey to Los Angeles, Floris returned to the Netherlands to continue his Music & Technology bachelor at the University of the Arts in Utrecht. Currently, he's working on several short films, which will premiere later this year. Aside from his passion for scoring to picture, Floris channels his creativity into writing music as an independent artist. His compositions are often inspired by nature and influenced by classical music and jazz. Among his latest works is an interactive piece for a small ensemble featuring clarinet, violin, and himself on piano. Alongside these projects, he is writing a series of solo piano works.

visit Florisheemskerk.com

Project Video’s

Tide

An interactive composition for piano, clarinet and violin.

"Tide" is an interactive composition for piano, clarinet, and violin. During the performance the audience was asked to strike (whenever they want) on a gamelan gong placed in the center of the room, while the musicians face away from it. Each gong strike causes a change of color in the music, giving the audience influence over passage of time. Floris wrote down instructions for the musicians and for himself as the pianist, but the audience's input prompts the performers to interpret these instructions and adapt.

The written instructions were inspired by the ocean, the sea was used as a metaphor for the vastness of time and being in constant motion. This way of thinking visually led to the first sketches and the working title “Zee van tijd” which translates to “Sea of time”, a Dutch way of saying you’ve got all the time in the world.