Oene van
Geel (1973) studied jazz violin and
composition / arranging at the Rotterdam Conservatory.
Teachers:
Michael Gustorff (jazz), Thijs Kramer(classical), Rob Pronk (arranging) en Bob
Brookmeyer (composition).
After this
he studied South Indian and contemporary music with Rafael Reina at the
Amsterdam Conservatory.
Whether he
is playing viola, violin or percussion, Oene van Geel is always integrating
elements from different musical traditions such as: jazz and improvised music, pop
& funk music, contemporary music, classical music and ethnical music from
around the world.
As a
bandleader and sideman he is very active in the Dutch Jazz Scene. More and more
he performs outside of the Netherlands. With a wide variety of groups Oene
toured around Europe, Canada, India and the Dutch Antilles.
In 2003
Oene performed in India, Austria, Slovenia, France (3x), Belgium, Germany,
Italy, Ireland, Spain and Russia (2x).
In 2004
Oene performed or will perform in India, Canada, America, France, Hungary,
Japan, Slovenia, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and Lituania.
In the past
years Oene played with: Mark Helias, Mark Turner, Mark Haanstra, Wiek Hijmans,
Tobias Klein, Jorrit Dijkstra, Guillaume Orti, Benoit Delbecq, Achim Kaufmann,
Emile Biayenda, Jozef Dumoulin, Ernst
Reijseger, Mola Sylla, Jasper Le Clercq, Jeffrey Bruinsma, Eric Surmenian,
Harmen Fraanje, Hein van de Geijn, Nelson Veras, Jim Thirwell, Steve Bernstein,
B.C. Manjunath, Afra Mussawisade, Calefax rietkwintet, Kurt van Herck, Tom van
Dyck, Jasper Blom, Ben Herman, Izaline Calister, Eric Calmes, Randal Corsen,
Fay Claassen, David Kweksilber, Guus Janssen, Emile Visser, Friedmar Hitzer,
Wilbert de Joode, Alex Waterman, Ig Henneman, Michael Vatcher, Michael Moore,
Ab Baars, Martin van Duinhoven, Alan Purves, Sean Bergin, Ernst Glerum, Frank
Wingold, Joost Lijbaart, Chander Sardjoe, Anton Goudsmit, Gulli Gudmundson,
Vera van der Poel, Albert van Veenendaal, Hans Hasebos, Yonga Sun, Mathilde
Santing, Paul Pallesen, John Korsrud, Thomas Andersen, Joost Buis, Meinrad Kneer, Christiaan Thome, Timucin
Sahin, Andreas Suntrop, Arnold Dooyeweerd, Yuri honing, Maarten Ornstein, Tony Overwater, Joshua Samson, Fay Claassen,
Corrie van Binsbergen, Mike Kenealy, George Coleman and many others
He won the
Anderson Jazz Award 2002 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Royal
Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. With his group 'On The Line' he won the Dutch
Jazz Competition 2001. He won also won the soloist prize of that edition. With his group 'Mosaic' he won the Jur
Naessens Muziekprijs 2000. He founded more groups. Among them was 'GEEL!'. In 1998 this group won the
Dutch Jazz Contest and got the second price at the 'Getxo International
Jazz Contest' (Spain).In 1997 he won the composition contest of the Amersfoorts
Jazzfestival with a composition for his string quartet 'ZAPP!'.
Main
musical projects:
-The Zapp
String Quartet: Jasper le
Clercq-violin, Friedmar hitzer – violin/viola,
www.zappstringquartet.com Oene van Geel- viola/violin,
Emile Visser- cello
-Voer: Vera van der Poel- zang, Anton goudsmit – electric guitar,
Gulli Gudmundsson – double bass, Oene van Geel – viola/ percussion/ laptop, Afra Mussawisade- percussion setup
-Osmosis : Guillaume Orti- alto sax, Oene
van Geel- violin,
Jozef Dumoulin, piano/ Fender Rhodes, Mark Haanstra- bass guitar
B.C. Manjunath- Indian percussion, Afra Mussawisade-
percussion setup
-Janssen,
Reijseger, van Geel Guus Janssen –
piano, Ernst Reijseger – cello, Oene van Geel – viola / cajon
- Delbecq Unit: Mark Turner
– tenor sax, Oene van Geel- viola,
www.hask.com Benoit
Delbecq-prepared piano/ sampler, Mark Helias- double bass,
Emile Biayenda – drums/ percussion
-Pavlov: Hans
Hasebos- vibraphone/ marimba/ drums, Albert van Veenendaal- piano
Oene
van Geel- violin, viola
Duo Kaufmann/ van Geel: Achim Kaufmann- piano, Oene van Geel- viola/ violin
-De Wereldband: Theatrical multi-instrumentalist band with: Willem van Baarsen, Rogier
www.dewereldband.nl Bosman, Roderick Krauss, Sanne van Delft, Wim Lammen and
Oene van Geel. Artistic director: Karel de Rooij
-Bruinsma Syndicaat Jeffrey Bruinsma- violin, Oene van Geel- viola, Eric Surmenian- double bass
Afra Mussawisade – percussion setup.
-Henneman strijkkwaret Ig Henneman – viola, Oene van Geel- violin/ viola, Alex Waterman- cello
www.stichtingwig.com Wilbert de Joode- double bass
-With the
band Bhedam Oene toured in India in January 2002 and Januari 2003)
From October first 2001 his groups Mosaic and On
The Line did a tour together around the Netherlands: the Young Vips tour. Both
groups are not active at the present moment.
He worked
in music theatre productions with Mathilde Santing, Alexandra van Marken, Dirk
Thange, Marlies Helder en Winanda van Vliet.
Activities
as a composer:
As a
composer Oene van Geel writes for a lot of the groups he plays with: (The Zapp String Quartet, Osmosis, Voer, Pavlov,
Bruinsma Syndicaat, duo Kaufmann/ van Geel, de Wereldband ). He made
compositions for Tetsepi Bigtet,
rietkwintet Calefax, Bhedam, Peter Ypma
+ eleven and a multimedia production with animation artist Petra Dolleman.
Pieces of Oene were performed by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw,
director: Henk Meutgeert.
As an
assignment for the VPRO radio and the
SJU Jazz festival 2002 he wrote ‘Chamber Grooves’ for the Zapp String
Quartet with special guestst: David Kweksilber (clarinet/ bass clarinet) and
Jozef Dumoulin (piano / Fender Rhodes). As an assignment for NPS radio and
the Marathon festival 2002 he wrote new music for Osmosis.
For the VPRO
Childrens program he composed music for Michael Moore, Guus Janssen, David
Kweksilber, Joshua Samson Tony Overwater and himself.
Since four
years Oene’s composing is subsidized by the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst.