Woltjer, Thomas H.

Thomas H. Woltjer

Prize winner composer of the ICC “The contemporary piano 2018”
for his work for piano 4 hands “Piano Duet in E minor” 

Thomas Woltjer (1998 – ) is an up and coming composer and oboist, living in Grand Rapids, MI, USA. He has studied oboe and music under several well known and widely respected instructors, and experts in the field, including Ann van Bever, Kathy Gomez, Timothy Steele, Tiffany Engle, John Varineau and Forrest Wakeman.

While he plays oboe for both the Calvin College Wind Ensemble and the Calvin College Orchestra, his passion lies with the art of creating music using a combination of mind and soul, and there is no better way than through the art of writing music. His influences draw from great composers of the past, such as Domenico Cimarosa and Johannes Brahms, but also contemporary writers such as Greg Maroney, Karl Jenkins, and David Maslanka.

His greatest inspiration, however, is the beauty and order of the world around him, and the creator who sung it into existence. He is currently attending Calvin College and studying Computer Science and Music Theory/Composition, far away from his forested Oregon home and his beloved family.

“Piano Duet in E Minor” for piano 4 hands

This challenging dance is designed to bring people in unity with one another. During my recent study in Indonesia, I was made aware of the excess of unnecessarily conflict and hate, particularly in western cultures. All humanity was born flawed, so we have no right to exalt ourselves higher than our neighbors, no matter the difference of race, ethnicity, or beliefs that there may be. In this spirit, this piece is designed to create an interdependence between the players. Without both playing their parts, it will sound wrong and incomplete. However, with both players united and true to each other, the duet blossoms into a spectacular flurry of notes and rich chordal harmonies that are beyond what either player could ever hope to accomplish alone.