Clocks and the Theremin

The Friends of the Wijnhuis Carillon have a very special concert planned for Zutphen. Anne-Magda de Geus will be in the garden of De Munt with her Theremin, whilst City Carillonneur Frans Haagen will be in the Wijnhuistoren . They’ll be quite a distance apart and, in terms of volume, at opposite ends of the spectrum. The robust carillon, which can be heard by everyone throughout the city centre, and the subtle sounds of the Theremin. Yet they will be performing a programme together.

If you want to hear just how well these elements come together and are carefully harmonised, you should go and listen in the historic garden of De Munt. The theremin is the world’s oldest electronic musical instrument, invented in 1919 by the Russian physicist Léon Theremin. What makes this instrument unique is that you play it without touching it. It produces a ethereal, almost ghostly sound by moving your hands through invisible electromagnetic fields. Thanks to that enchanting sound, it has found a home in film scores, contemporary classical music and even rock bands. For example, everyone is familiar with the theme tune to *Midsomer Murders*.

Anne Magda de Geus also performs as a thereminist under the name Miss Therie. This name was chosen with a touch of humour for her theremin debut at the Steengroevetheater in 2017, and since then she has taken up playing this challenging instrument in earnest. She has taken lessons from three of the world’s leading thereminists: Lydia Kavina, Carolina Eck and Thorwald Jørgensen. She is also active as a professional cellist, having studied at the conservatoires in Enschede and Amsterdam. Anne Magda runs a thriving teaching practice and particularly enjoys playing a wide variety of musical styles in smaller ensembles or accompanied by a church organ.

Frans Haagen, Zutphen’s city carillonneur, is a versatile musician. At the conservatoire in Zwolle, he studied organ (from which he graduated summa cum laude with a diploma in Performance) as well as specialising in church music and choral conducting. He also studied school music at the conservatoire in Hilversum and piano in Enschede. He was the winner of two internationally renowned organ competitions (the International C. Franck Competition in Haarlem and the International Rijnstreek Competition in Nijmegen) and was also a prize-winner at various carillon competitions. Until recently, he worked as a principal lecturer in carillon at the Dutch Carillon School in Amersfoort. He performs frequently as a concert carillonneur. In addition to concerts in the Netherlands, he has also performed regularly at various festivals worldwide in recent years. He has performed in countries including Germany, Poland, Norway, Belgium, France, Spain, Austria, the United States and South Korea.

This special concert can be enjoyed from the intimate, beautiful garden of De Munt. Please note that admission is limited. You must book in advance.

Practical information

De Munt Courtyard Garden, Rodetorenstraat 12, Zutphen
Tickets: €10, payable in cash on the day
Bookings must be made by 7 September via secretaris@wijnhuiscarillon.nl
Donors are admitted free of charge and can register by 4 September at the latest via secretaris@wijnhuiscarillon.nl.