Martien Maas, piano - Sander Teepen, conductor

23-27th March

Biography

Martien Maas (1963, Deurne) is a Dutch pianist, conductor and music educator.

He studied classical piano with Ton Demmers at the ‘Brabants Conservatorium’ and had masterclasses with, among others, György Sebök and Ivo Pogorelich. He obtained his bachelor diploma ‘classical piano’ (1988) and his diploma as a ‘Performing musician’ (1990). Also, he graduated as a ‘Collaborative pianist’ (1992). Moreover, he obtained his diploma ‘Wind band conducting’ (1988) and ‘Music education’ (1987) at the ‘Brabants Conservatorium’ in Tilburg.

Martien Maas is active as a soloist, collaborative pianist and conductor. As a pianist, he performed with, among others, Steven Mead, Peter Damm, Andreas van Zoelen, Claude Delangle and Walter Boeykens. He appeared on radio and television and made several CD recordings. Except in the Netherlands, he also performed in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Spain. As a conductor he worked with several orchestras. Together with Jan Cober he conducted the royal symphonic wind orchestra Deurne (‘Koninklijke Harmonie Deurne’) from 1998 to 2002.

Martien Maas is currently a teacher, collaborative pianist (correpetitor) and, since 2019, 'International Relations Coordinator' at the ’Tilburg Conservatorium’, part of Fontys Universities in Tilburg. He is also active as a freelance pianist. Besides this, he is currently the principal conductor of several wind orchestras: The Royal Symphonic Wind Orchestra ‘Koninklijke Harmonie Deurne’ and the ‘Police wind orchestra East-Brabant’. With these orchestras, he worked with many artists and made concert tours to China, Czech Rebublic, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Poland.

In November 2017, Martien Maas has received a Royal Award: Knight in the order of Oranje-Nassau.

Sander Teepen was born in Deurne (The Netherlands, 1981) into a musical

family. He started playing with the oboe at the age of 8, and went onto study at the

Fontys conservatory under Herman Vincken.

Sander was quickly fascinated by conducting. He followed conducting classes

under Jan Stulen, Otto Tausk, Jac van Steen and others. He went on to take part in

master classes led by Jorma Panula, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi and Leonid Grin. 

I worked with Sander Teepen recently with the Royal Bangkok Symphony and had a

wonderful time. We performed Rachmaninov’s 2nd concerto for the King of Thailand

and I was enormously impressed with Sander’s musicianship as well as his ability to

convey clearly his ideas to the players with word and stick. It is a difficult piece to

conduct – to balance, to keep phrases moving along naturally without haste or

agitation, and to combine the soloist’s ideas with his own. All of this worked

marvellously well with Sander and I look forward enormously to the next

opportunity for us to work together.

Stephen Hough – pianist

Sander Teepen: versatile, with very natural communication skills. Within a few

minutes, he know how to transfer his ideas of sound and phrase to the orchestra.

He is one of those conductors for whom the orchestra is ready to give everything.

Sven Arne Tepl, Artistic Director, Residence Orchestra The Hague

“In addition to his technical talent as conductor, he also has great empathy for

those around him. He reassures those around him, and has a seemingly

inexhaustible supply of positive energy.”

– André Heuvelman, (former)solo trumpeter, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

“In the projects in which I performed, Sander’s immense energy and humor were

very inspiring. In addition, it’s always a great feeling for a soloist when you find

that a conductor has technical and musical qualities which make it possible to do,

almost literally, whatever you want. “

– Perry Hoogendijk, solo-tuba player, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Since 2012, Sander participated in various conductor competitions and walked

away with various prizes. For example, in 2012 he won the conductors contest at

the MAV Symphonic Orchestra in Budapest, in 2013 the prize at the Blue Danube

Opera conductor competition, in 2014 the “George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra

Prize” at the Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest and in 2015 he came second in

the Blue Danube Opera conductor competition. 

In 2018 he assisted at the Dutch Touring Opera (The Flying Dutchman) and was

awarded with the prestigious conductor scholarship 2018 by “Het Kersjes

Fonds.” From 2018 till 2022 Sander worked as assistant conductor at The

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since 2020 he is associated with the Codarts Conservatory Rotterdam at the

orchestra conducting departement.

Sander worked as guest conductor with: 

 The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

 The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

 The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra

 Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

 The Netherlands Ballet Orchestra

 The Metropole Orchestra

 Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland and Overijssel

 North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra

 South Netherlands Philharmonic

 The Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra

 Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra Timișoara

 Divadlo Antonina Opera House Dvoraka Ostrava

 State Opera Stara Zagora

 Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra Košice

 The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra

 The Brussel Philharmonic Orchestra

 Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie

 Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen

 Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra in Iasi