DOMNIQ takes the reins at Tromp Festival
DOMNIQ serves his first year as Artistic Director of the TROMP Percussion Eindhoven, taking place from 9 to 17 November.
The festival hosts top percussionists from all over the world, commissioning new repertoire, and also offering workshops for non-musicians. DOMNIQ describes the ethos: 'Percussion can connect people from all sorts of backgrounds. All these musicians are one big community who are very open-minded and up for anything. Can you imagine that I asked musicians to play in a barber shop, during a wine-tasting, walking through the streets of Eindhoven or playing a new piece with 16 tuned triangles in the recital hall? All these things are going to happen at this year's festival!'
DOMNIQ has also emphasised inclusion in his programming, with educational initiatives to engage young players and new audiences. For the 100 Drummers Project, the winners of the 2022 TROMP competition will join local percussion lovers and drummers from around the world to perform a new commission by Arend Bruijn, also taking part in workshops, masterclasses and concerts for children.
He picks some highlights: 'I'm really looking forward to the new commission Box Office during the competition final, and also the 100 Drummers project, which is going to be insane. Another personal favourite is the concert where I have curated a programme with percussionists from Poland, Japan, India, Senegal and Turkey, who will collaborate with a local spoken word artist.'
He himself takes part in a tribute to Steve Reich, joining colleagues including Argentinian percussionist Marcelo Wolowski (known from Snarky Puppy) and Senegalese drummer Pape Seck to perform works by the American composer, as well as free improvisations.
The biennial festival was founded in 1970 and has become one of the leading platforms for percussion music worldwide. It also includes the Tromp International Percussion Competition (9 to 17 November), where Vleeshouwers himself won the First, Press and Audience prizes in 2014.
