Biography

Adriaan Valk was born on the tenth of July 1943 in Koog on the Zaan. When Adriaan was sixteen he came in contact with the alt-saxophone and played in the Harmony Apollo in Zaandijk. From the very first note he realised that the saxophone would have a massive impact on his life. Within a few years Adriaan had ascended from the local harmony and developed into a major talent.

At the age of twenty he auditioned at the royal academy of music in Den Hague and was awarded a scholarship which enabled him to study at the music academy of his choice in Holland. In those days the saxophone was not recognised as a classic instrument, he became the first musician in Holland to study classic saxophone.

Adriaan then turned to the music academy in Amsterdam where he again auditioned, with the remarks "you play excellent saxophone but we think it to be of the utmost importance you study the clarinet, as first class clarinettist, who also plays excellent saxophone, you can earn a living playing in a symphony orchestra" he passed the audition.

Between the years of 1965-1972 Adriaan studied clarinet and alt-saxophone at the music academy in Amsterdam where he graduated with distinction. During his study he began playing for the royal "concertgebouw" orchestra in Amsterdam where he continued playing untill 1974. In 1975 Adriaan was appointed head tutor of the saxophone faculty at the music academy in Zwolle and in 1980 accepted the same function at the academy in Arnhem, he fulfilled both functions untill 2002.

During his years as head tutor Adriaan also began composing his own works, his first being "Sept pieces pour Saxophone" In this period Adriaan also came in contact with the well known dutch actor Henk van Ulsen who inspired him to write many pieces in the turbulent years of the seventies. This collaboration resulted in theater presentations like "Job op schokland" "Prediker" and "De sonnetten van Shakspeare" in which Adriaan performed his own compositions. The poetry of Ida Gerhardt, scripts of Gerard Reve and "De Raaf" by Allen Poe served also as an inspiration for Adriaan to write even more compositions.

Adriaan has always been open and willing to collaborate with artists whatever their fields of work, actors, mime artists, african masterdrummers and film producers have all enjoyed the collaboration, understanding, and intense union in working with Adriaan. His thirst voor artistic expression cannot be thwarted by cultuur, religion or boundries of any kind, in fact this diversity serves only as his inspiration. To this very day he remains inspired by Zen-Boedism and other spiritual movements.

Adriaan composes works for string instruments, hobo, clarinet, tuned and untuned percussion, saxophone and symphonic arrangements. Adriaan composes not only for the solist but also for duets, triolets and quartets.