Hardy Mertens |
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Hardy Mertens (1960)
was born in the small Dutch town of Nieuwenhagen.
He studied musicology
at the Utrecht University, composition and band conducting at the
Utrecht Conservatory.
Before starting his worldwide
musical career, he joined the Netherlands Royal Military Band as arranger
and clarinet player.
Besides teaching band
conducting at the Tilburg Conservatory, Hardy Mertens conducts the
Netherlands Police Band and several Dutch community bands, with numerous
championships as a result.
As guest conductor,
clinician and lecturer he has been playing an active role in the
Singaporean band scene since 1990 and in the Italian band scene since
1995.
Occasional guest
conducting brought him to many European countries, the U.S.A., Canada,
Israel and Hong Kong.
Compositions by Hardy
Mertens are played worldwide, have been recorded by top bands and have
been chosen as compulsory contest pieces for the World Music Contest and
various international contests.
His music is rooted in
the European orchestral tradition and often influenced by folk music
from different continents.
Traditional tonality,
extended melody lines and percussive patterns are often combined with
humorous surprises and unusual sounds.
This complexity
usually results in a high grade of difficulty and sometimes this causes
controversy with conductors and musicians.
Occasionally Hardy
Mertens is active as composer and arranger in the field of jazz and
light music.
Several positions in
the Dutch hit charts have been the result.
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