HARMONIE CONCORDIA MELICK DE HOLANDA

Director:
HARRY VORSELEN

Band profile

The band was founded in 1882 as a brass band but changed to a wind instrument band in 1988. In 1973, the band received the Queen Juliana medal and another award from Queen Beatriz marked the band's centennial.
The band has 120 members and a brass band as well as a 60-strong youth band. When the band takes its place in a performance the audiences are struck by the spectacular uniforms and the youthfulness of the players. Many of the band members study music at the Kreato institute and have made their musical hobbies into a profession.
As an objective, the band manages at least two great performances each year. This is in addition to annual concerts in Roennond and Oberbruch in Germany, and frequent appearances in international competitions. Recent performances have been in Mijnster (Germany), Douvaine (France), Birkenfell (Germany) and Friedrichshafen (Germany). In 2001, the band obtained second prize in the first section of the Drittes Deutches Bundesmusikfest competition.
The band normally participates in its regional federation competition every four years, and in 2000 obtained top prize in the top section. In the Dutch national championships of 2001, it won first prize - as it previously had done in the years 1989, 1993 and 1997.

Director profile

Harry Vorselen was born in 1968 and studied at the Maastricht conservatory. He obtained a 'Cum Laude' diploma in trumpet in 1995. During his studies, he was first trumpet in the national youth orchestra and played in the European youth orchestra and the Schleswig Holstein Musikfestival Orchester. He is currently solo trumpeter in the Radio Symfonie Orkest; and understudy in the Netherlands Blazers Ensemble and the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest. He also directs the Symfonic Impulse, the St. Cecilia Puth-Schinnen band and the Jeker Brass band. He also plays with the national youth orchestra and the Conservatoiri Sweelinck in Amsterdam.