Donemus Webwinkel — Bongers, Bianca

Bianca Bongers was born on the 24th of august 1987 in Breda. Currently she is living in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Bianca is a Dutch composer and cellist. She started composition lessons with Daan Manneke, during her master cello with Monique Heidema at Fontys Conservatorium in Tilburg. After graduating in 2014, with a program fully focused on contemporary music including one of her own pieces, she took a year to perform and compose while taking several lessons with Willem Jeths. In 2015, she started her composition studies with Wim Henderickx and Luc van Hove at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and graduated the master composition with ‘highest distinction’ in 2017. Masterclasses she took with a.o. Wolfgang Rihm, Brian Ferneyhough, Rebecca Saunders, Isabel Mundry and Michel van der Aa.
Starting from a visual way of thinking, her music is recognizable by a high refinement and sense of form, shaping music as an almost touchable object. Resulting in a search for perspective in music, to find the aspect of ‘depth’. In character she is often looking for clarity and a certain playfulness in musical movement. The process of working, that never seems to be linear, is what she enjoys the most. Although clearly for her, the sounding result on stage is where it is all about. She composes, while wishing to hear this particular organisation of sound, to express it and share it with the public. “Listening and the visual projection that it gives me, is the most interesting experience. To get a better understanding of music, each time on a deeper level.”
As commissions came in after premiering her first piece for cello solo ‘Three movements and a closing’ in 2013, solo pieces run like a thread through her work. She is involved with the whole range of chamber music-, orchestra- and vocal pieces. Her music is performed internationally by Royal Flemish Philharmonic (BE), Vincent van Amsterdam (accordion), Lucerne Festival Alumni (CH), Kugoni Trio (BE), Trio Catch (DE), International Ensemble Modern Academy (DE), Ensemble Adapter (DE) and Intercontinental Ensemble (NL) during festivals like Gaudeamus Muziekweek, November Music, Ultraschall Berlin (DE), Lucerne Festival (CH), Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt (IMD), Kurt Weill Fest (DE), Open Days (DK) and Grachtenfestival. In 2019, Bianca got presented by Gaudeamus Muziekweek for an exchange with the Korean Composers Association in Seoul, where she gave a lecture ‘My visual composing’ following by performance of her work by Wiro Ensemble in the prestigious Seoul Arts Centre (KR). In 2021 several new pieces are coming up such as a new piece for harp solo for Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir (IS) and a piece for viola trio commissioned by Trio Estatico (DE).
Broadcasting sounded at national and international radio stations: rbbKultur, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, National Danish Radio ‘DR P2’, Concertzender and NPO Radio 4, where she was guest in the program VPRO Vrije Geluiden by Aad van Nieuwkerk. In 2020, the premier of her piece ‘Come wide close’ for soprano saxophone written for Andreas Mader (AT) was played live from Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ broadcasted by NTR. Official recordings of her work were made of Surrounded by Air, Appearance II for flute, oboe & piano (2018) recorded by Triotique (BE) and published by Etcetera Records, Reiken for violin, alto saxophone & piano (2018) and Collage van een Achtvlak for nonet (2016/19) both by the Dutch label TRPTK and as part of the new album of Intercontinental Ensemble in 2021.