A world full of insects

Presentation school project for groups 5 to 8 of primary schools in Zeist and environs led by choral conductor Annemiek van der Ven, with narrator Eric Borrias, Matthijs Overmars piano, lyre playing led by. Lea Zantinge and body percussion led by. Heiko de Jonge.

Since early spring, hundreds of schoolchildren in and around Zeist have been experiencing how much fun it is to sing together and prepare a performance. During the school project A world full of insects primary school pupils studied 12 liederen in order to tell the story from Erik or the little bug book to life. In that story, Erik Pinksterblom ends up in the painting above his bed one night. At once he is no taller than the insects around him. This seems wonderful, but he soon discovers that even in the insect world, every critter has its peculiarities and all is not as nice as thought. But how does he get back into the world outside the painting?

With the presentation in the Grote Zaal, 260 pupils from five primary schools in and around Zeist will festively close this project. Eric Borrias tells the story and the pupils from various schools in Zeist and the surrounding area sing the liederen they studied and thelied project. If only I were a centipede. That lied was commissioned by Internationaal Lied Festival Zeist was composed by Anne-Maartje Lemereis on a text by Mary Heylema. Annemiek van der Ven is conductor of this choir, Matthijs Overmars takes place behind the grand piano, Lea Zantinge leads the lyre playing and Heiko de Jonge leads the body percussion.

Performers

Eric Borrias, narrator

Annemiek van der Ven, choral conductor

Matthijs Overmars, piano

Heiko de Jonge, body percussion

Pupils Of the:
Comenius School Zeist ,
Juliana school Bilthoven,
Tobias School Zeist,
Zeister School Association and
Zeister Free School

Location

Great Hall
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 12, 3703 CB Zeist

Biography

Eric Borrias / narrator

Eric Borrias had a penchant for storytelling and acting from an early age. In secondary school, he founded his own cabaret group and played in an amateur theatre company. In the 1990s, Borrias developed into a full-time storyteller and eventually joined Het Verteltheater, where he achieved great success with adaptations of famous children's books. He also appeared at major storytelling festivals in Europe. Since the solo performance Inside the Gates about Jules Schelvis - survivor of the Sobibor extermination camp - he has performed regularly at commemorations, symposiums and exhibitions on World War II. For Inside the Gates, he received the Rachel Borzykowski medal, a token of appreciation from the Sobibor Foundation. Meanwhile, Borrias is increasingly active as a storytelling coach, director and voice actor.

Heiko de Jonge / body percussion

Heiko de Jonge has always been ‘drumming’. It started with sticks he used to bang on his mother's empty barrels of washing powder. Later, he taught himself to drum on a drum kit and played in several bands. Through Jeroen Schipper, he discovered the joy of body percussion: not lugging around drums, but simply playing rhythms on your own body. Together with him and Wendy Bontje, he wrote the book Body percussion - grooving with groups.
De Jonge is a music teacher at Bartiméus' school for visually impaired pupils in Zeist. He also conducts workshops in body percussion and bucket drumming. This year, he is involved in the festival's Schools Project for the fourth time, letting children experience the joy of body percussion.

Matthijs Overmars / piano

Matthijs Overmars studied school music and choral conducting at the Utrecht Conservatory. During his studies, he and four fellow students founded the a capella group Intermezzo, which grew into a professional and internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble with its own concept and signature.
In recent years, Overmars worked as a choral conductor, teacher of music, choral singing, handicrafts and flute making at the Zeister Free School. Earlier, he was also associated with Academy De Wervel, Hogeschool Helicon, the Zeister Kamerkoor and as a teacher at the multi-year conductor training programme of the Utrecht Centre for the Arts. In 2010, he started the project children's choir Spring.

Annemiek van der Ven / choral conductor

Annemiek van der Ven completed her Music Teaching studies, with a minor in classical singing, at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and obtained her diploma in choral conducting cum laude at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. As first alto, she was a member of the female a cappella ensemble Wishful Singing for several years.
From her student days, Annemiek conducted several choirs in different genres. She was the permanent conductor of the VU Choir and conducted ensembles such as The Gents and Coqu on a project basis. She was also associated with Vocaal Talent Nederland as a music educator and conductor. Van der Ven is currently a teacher and lecturer in music at the Zeister Free School.

Roel Vogel / choral conductor

Roel Vogel studeerde Docent Muziek aan het Conservatorium in Utrecht en Koordirectie aan het Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag bij Jos van Veldhoven en Jos Vermunt. Hij studeerde af met een in samenwerking met Michiel de Regt ontwikkelde muziektheaterproductie. Vogel verdiepte zijn kennis tijdens verscheidene cursussen, waaronder de Kurt Thomas Cursus en lessen bij musici als Hans Leenders, en Micha Hamel.
Vogel is vaste dirigent van het Klein Operakoor en de Utrechtse Oratoriumvereniging. Daarnaast dirigeert hij diverse projectkoren en -orkesten en is als vakleerkracht verbonden aan de Vrije School Utrecht. Ook is hij als initiator en dirigent betrokken bij verschillende nieuwe muziektheaterproducties en dirigeert hij het project ‘Samen zingen in TivoliVredenburg’ met kinderen van basisscholen uit Utrecht.

Lea Zantinge / singing teacher

Lea Zantinge has been singing in choirs since a young age and was a member of the Nationaal Vrouwen Jeugdkoor, among others. In 2013, she completed the Opleiding Docent Muziek at the former Hogeschool Helicon in The Hague. Zantinge is a singing teacher at the National Choirs, where she works with the youngest children. She also gives music lessons to toddlers and is attached to the Vrije School Dietzenbach in Germany, where she accompanies the middle and upper choir on their choral and orchestral tours. Zantinge is also active in the Human and Music Foundation and in projects for schools, focusing on the importance of good music education in primary schools.