main portal to the official website of composer and poet Rozalie Hirs (*1965, Gouda, The Netherlands) with introduction, music, poetry, lists of publications and musical works, research, software, media (interviews, reviews, essays), biography, distinctions, press photographs, external links
bron (2023), radio philharmonic orchestra, zaterdag matinee – world premiere
On 16 December 2023 the Zaterdagmatinee presents a concert in honour of György Ligeti. Part of the programme will be works by Abrahamsen, Hirs, Ligeti, and Poppe. The new work bron for symphony orchestra (2023) by Rozalie Hirs was commissioned by NTR ZaterdagMatinee and Stichting Vrienden van de Matinee. Composed […]
bee sage (2023), istanbul & izmir, turkey – turkish premiere
On 17 and 20 november 2023, bass clarinettist Fie Schouten and cellist Katharina Gross perform concerts in Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey. The program includes the new duo bee sage for (contra)bass clarinet and cello (2023) by Rozalie Hirs, alongside musical works by Jan van de Putte, and Seung-Won Oh, among […]
artemis (2022), november music – netherlands premiere
On 10 November 2023 at 19:00 CET during November Music the Ensemble Ascolta and Keren Motseri (soprano) perform the Netherlands premiere of the song cycle artemis (2022) by Rozalie Hirs. The location is Willem Twee Concertzaal FKA De Toonzaal, Den Bosch, The Netherlands. The song cycle was composed by Hirs […]
adonis blue (2023), ruysdael quartet, november music
On Friday 10 November 2023 at 12:30 CET, the Ruysdael Quartet will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary with a special concert at the festival November Music, Den Bosch. For the first time, all twenty-five string quartets, written by Dutch composers especially for the occasion, are performed in one program. The Ruysdael […]
dreams of airs (2017-18), dag in de branding, the hague
On 21 October 2023 at 15:00 CET Ensemble Klang, Michaela Riener (voice), and Hardy Li (conductor) perform the poetry and music cycle dreams of airs (2017-18) by Rozalie Hirs during the Dag in de Branding Festival, The Hague, The Netherlands. The location is Korzo Theater, The Hague. With visual art […]
bron (2023)
21 September 2023. bron (2023) is a new orchestral work by Rozalie Hirs, commissioned by the NTR Zaterdagmatinee and Stichting Vrienden van de Matinee. bron (2023) is dedicated to the memory of György Ligeti. Its world premiere will be performed by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of […]
bee sage (2023), muze van zuid, amsterdam – world premiere
On 17 September 2023 at 13:30 CET, (contra)bass clarinettist Fie Schouten and violoncellist Katharina Gross perfrom the world premiere of bee sage (2023), a new duo by Rozalie Hirs for cello and contrabass clarinet. bee sage (2023) was composed by Hirs at the request of Fie Schouten and Katharina Gross. […]
poetry reading from ecologica, muze van zuid, amsterdam
On 17 September 2023 at 13:00, Rozalie Hirs performs eight poems, selected from her new collection ecologica (Uitgeverij Vleugels, 2023) at the Muze van Zuid Festival in Amsterdam. The event is at a secret location near Sarphatipark, Amsterdam; we gather at 12:30 CET at Het Groen Gemaal in Sarphatipark (entrance […]
dreams of airs (2017-18), muze van zuid, amsterdam
On 15 September 2023, Ensemble Klang, Michaela Riener (voice), and Hardy Li (conductor) perform the poetry and music cycle dreams of airs (2017-18) by Rozalie Hirs during Muze van Zuid Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The location is the Vondel Church, Vondelstraat 120, Amsterdam. With live visual art by Geert Jan […]
zonnezegen, a tribute to mark van tongele (1956-2023), watou poetry and arts festival, belgium
On 26 August 2023 at 3PM, the Watou poetry festival pays homage to poet Mark van Tongele (1956-2023). Carl De Strycker, former director of Poëziecentrum, Ghent, hosts the afternoon. Koen Vergeer presents a lecture on the poetics of Mark van Tongele. Fellow poets Kurt de Boodt and Rozalie Hirs read […]
meet the composer: rozalie hirs – bowdoin festival, maine, united states
On 3 August 2023 at 10:00-11:00 AM (Eastern Time) Rozalie Hirs will talk about her music during the Meet the Composer series at Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine, United States. Hosts of the event are Derek Bermel and Andreia Pinto Correia. Starts: 2023-08-03 Doortime: 10:00 AM Eastern Time […]
![article 4 [map butterfly] (2004), gamper contemporary music festival, maine](https://rozalie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/230706-gamper-festival-maine.jpg){kind=small}
article 4 [map butterfly] (2004), gamper contemporary music festival, maine
On 6, 8, and 9 July 2023, the Gamper Contemporary Music Festival takes place in Brunswick, Maine, United States. Part of the concert Musical Elements I on 6 July 2023 is article 4 [map butterfly] for viola (2004) by Rozalie Hirs, performed by the violist Steven Baloue. Musical Elements I […]
mateloos verlangen, xsaga – poetry publication
On Monday 5 June 2023 at 16:30 CET, Amsterdam, the new anthology mateloos verlangen (Amsterdam: XSAGA & Uitgeverij Podium, 2023) is presented to the public in the Theatre Hall of the Amsterdam Public Library. This book of brand-new poetry around the themes of diversity and love has been collected by […]
no fence stops the ants – review jeroen dera, de standaard
20 May 2023. Published today is Jeroen Dera’s review ‘no fence stops the ants’, an elaborate dicussion on the twenty-fifth poem ‘sneak inside’, selected from ecologica by Rozalie Hirs. He writes, among other things: “The fascinating thing about Hirs’ poetry is that it takes its readers by the hand (‘Sneak […]
adonis blue (2023)
17 May 2023. adonis blue (2023) is a new string quartet composed by Rozalie Hirs, commissioned by the Ruysdael Quartet. The new work owes its title to the adonis blue, a butterfly species (Latin: Lysandra bellargus; English: Adonis blue; French: le Bel-Argus, l’Azuré bleu céleste, l’Argus bleu céleste, l’Argus bleu […]
guest composer at vpro vrije geluiden – ntr radio
On Sunday 7 May 2023 at 23:25-23:59 CET, Rozalie Hirs is featured at VPRO’s Vrije Geluiden, NTR Radio 4. The interview by Melchior Huurdeman for his series De Componistenkamer (The Composer’s Room) is broadcast. In addition Hirs’ article 7 [ways to climb a mountain] (2012), as performed by bass clarinettist […]
bee sage (2023)
7 May 2023. bee sage (2023) is a new composition by Rozalie Hirs for cello and (contra) bass clarinet. The new duo was composed at the kind request of cellist Katharina Gross and bass clarinetist Fie Schouten. The first performances by Gross and Schouten of bee sage (2023) are scheduled […]
forum, dudok city hall, hilversum – poetry publication
On Saturday afternoon 15 April 2023 at 14:00 CET, the latest issue of Forum – architecture magazine is presented in the courtyard garden of the Town Hall, Hilversum, The Netherlands. The theme of the new issue is The Garden. Architects and designers have made contributions in image and writing. The […]
ecologica (2023), seedlings: poetry & ecology, amsterdam – book presentation
On 2 April 2023 at 15:00 CET at the Perdu Foundation in Amsterdam, Saskia Stehouwer and Rozalie Hirs present their new poetry collections wonen op de rand van het wonder (Publisher Marmer, 2023) and ecologica (Publisher Vleugels, 2023). During the program zaailingen (seedlings): poetry & ecology, the poets Moya De […]
ecologica (2023)
“It is her most daring and possibly most personal collection to date, in the sense that the poet’s voice sounds more pervasively forceful than ever” (Helena Van Praet, Poëziekrant)
“The best-kept secret of Dutch poetry. Rozalie Hirs writes poems like no one else does. Lyrical, musical, intuitive and very precise.” (Joost Baars, De Dolfijn)
“That way the words of Hirs, who is also active as a composer, are like music: the chords flow into one another rhythmically, quite oblivious of the boundaries of a sentence.” (Jeroen Dera, De Standaard)
“Hirs has managed to fashion a very urgent contemporary problem, climate change, into a lyrical stream of words. Doing so, she connects the magic of poetry to the biting irony of protest.” (Helena Van Praet, Poëziekrant)
dw b – poetry publication
On Sunday 26 March 2023 at 3 PM, the new issue of the Flemish literary magazine DW B (March 2023/1) is presented at the Passaporta Festival, Brussels, Belgium. The theme of the new issue is Exil – writing away from home. Curators Sigrid Bousset, Alicja Gescinska and Ellen Van Pelt […]
poëziekrant, ghent, belgium – poetry publication
On 17 March 2023, the new issue of Poëziekrant is published by Poëziecentrum, Ghent, Belgium. It features a brandnew interview with Cees Nooteboom Poetry is a plea for the authentic that is incomprehensible by Sigrid Bousset. And reviews of new poetry collections by Hélène Gélèns, Cees Nooteboom, Lieke Marsman, and […]
spectral music – lecture, prins claus conservatorium, groningen
On Thursday 16 March 2023 at 13:00-17:00 CET Rozalie Hirs presents a lecture on her music in relation to the recent Spectral Music tradition. The location is the Prins Claus Conservatorium, Hanze Hogeschool, Groningen, The Netherlands. The lecture takes place upon invitation of Klaas ten Holt, professor of composition at […]
associate maker (2023-2014) – ensemble klang
From 2023 through 2024 Rozalie Hirs is associate maker with Ensemble Klang in The Hague, The Netherlands. During her residency she composes several works for the ensemble. Ensemble Klang consists of Saskia Lankhoorn (piano), Pete Harden (guitars, artistic management), Anton van Houten (trombone, management), Erik-Jan de With (saxophones), Michiel van […]
nY #50 – poetry publication
23 February 2023. Today the Flemish journal of literature, criticism & entertainment nY published its fiftieth issue #50 with contributions by Nadia de Vries, Raoni Muzho Saleh, Sofie Verdoodt, Basja Boer, Michael Tedja, David Lillington, Assunta Abdel Azim, Mohamed, Babs Bakels, Fabienne Rachmadiev, Staci Bu Shea, Flora Valeska Woudstra, Linda […]
the composer’s room: rozalie hirs, vpro, interview melchior huurdeman
14 February 2023. A new episode of De Componistenkamer (English: The Composer’s Room) just has appeared with VPRO Radio Podcasts. Melchior Huurdeman interviews Rozalie Hirs in her workspace with a view across the river IJ. Listen to the new podcast #18 with Rozalie Hirs here. Happy listening! The podcast can […]
guided tour #2, mélanie van der hoorn, arcam
On Saturday 11 February 2023 from 15:30-16:30 CET, curator Mélanie van der Hoorn provides a guided tour for children and adults through the exhibition Playing Architecture, ARCAM, Amsterdam. Curator Mélanie van der Hoorn talks about her research into this topic, the creation of the exhibition and the installations made especially […]
guided tour #1, mélanie van der hoorn, arcam
On Thursday 9 February 2023 from 17:00-18:00 CET, curator Mélanie van der Hoorn provides a guided tour of the exhibition Playing Architecture at ARCAM, Amsterdam, especially for designers and architects. Van der Hoorn talks about her research, the creation of the exhibition, and the works. What do games show us […]
toon de stad, woorden temmen – poetry publication
The anthology toon de stad (English: show the city) (Grange Fontaine, 2023), edited by Lies van Gasse and Laurens Ham, is published on 2 February 2023. Van Gasse also illustrated the anthology. On Thursday 2 February 2023, a festive book launch takes place with an interview by Miriam Piters and […]
the listening house (2017), arcam – exhibition
From 9 December 2022 until 21 May 2023 the exhibition playing architecture – the game within the city, curated by Mélanie van der Hoorn, takes place at the Amsterdam Architecture Institute ARCAM. Part of the exhibition is The listening house (2017) by Machiel Spaan (concept, design) and Rozalie Hirs (concept, […]
dreams of airs (2017-18), orgelpark, amsterdam, the netherlands – portrait concert
On Sunday 4 December 2022 at 14:15 CET, the Amsterdam cutting-edge music venue Orgelpark presents a portrait concert of Rozalie Hirs. The performers are Lore Binon (voice), Spectra Ensemble, Filip Rathé (conductor), Boris Tellegen AKA Delta and Geert Jan Mulder (visual artists). The afternoon programme evolves around Rozalie’s dreams of […]
avatar (2022), ntr – radio broadcast
On 22 November 2022 the Dutch national radio station NPO Radio 4 presents NTR/ Het Avondconcert. Part of the broadcast is the live recording of the concert by philharmonie zuidnederland and it chief conductor Duncan Ward on 5 November 2022 at Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven, with works by Beethoven, Farrenc, and Hirs. […]
![article 7 [ways to climb a mountain] (2012) – heather roche – croatian premiere](https://rozalie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/221111-Heather-Roche-clarinettis-photograph-Inga-Geiser-LR-768x458.jpg)
article 7 [ways to climb a mountain] (2012) – heather roche – croatian premiere
***CONCERT CANCELLED*** On 11 November 2022 the Canadian/ English clarinettist Heather Roche plays a solo recital at Osijek festival in Croatia. Part of the recital is the Croatian premiere of article 7 [ways to climb a mountain] (2012) by Rozalie Hirs. More details to be announced after the summer. Born […]
avatar (2022), muziekgebouw eindhoven, the netherlands
On 5 November 2022 the philharmonie zuidnederland and Duncan Ward (conductor) perform a new work for orchestra by Rozalie Hirs. The work is a commission of philharmonie zuidnederland, the philharmonic orchestra of the Southern Netherlands.
avatar (2022), schouwburg, tilburg – world premiere
On 4 November 2022 at 20:30 CET at Schouwburg Concertzaal, Tilburg, the philharmonie zuidnederland and Duncan Ward (conductor) perform the world premiere of avatar (2022), a new work for orchestra by Rozalie Hirs. The work is commissioned by philharmonie zuidnederland, the philharmonic orchestra of the Southern Netherlands. The above picture […]
all that green and blue (2022) – world premiere
–> Nederlands On Saturday 29 October 2022 at 20:00 CET Rozalie Hirs presents the first live performance of her new composition all that green and blue (2022), based on her own texts, and commissioned by the literary festival Woordnacht. The Saturday evening programme kicks off with the new composition Wolkenbewegingen […]
ik doe mijn haar (2022), theatre performance – world premiere
On Friday 28 October 2022 new theatre pieces by Hannah van Binsbergen, EW Geerlings, Rozalie Hirs, Toine Horvers, Maria Machelina de Rooij en Anne Vegter will receive their first performance by the actors Sytske van der Ster (photograph) and Joep Dorren. In addition Dante Boon performs new works for organ […]
artemis (2022), ensemble ascolta, donaueschingen, germany – world premiere
During die Donaueschinger Musiktage, on Saturday 15 October 2022 at 11:00 CET, Keren Motseri (soprano) and ensemble ascolta perform the world premiere of artemis (2022), a new work by Rozalie Hirs. The concert at Bartók Saal, Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Stuttgart, Germany, is recorded live for radio broadcast. Ensemble ascolta opens the […]
power to the planet, rindert de groot – publication
On 1 October 2022 the new book power to the planet – de geslaagde revolutie is het begin van de verandering (editors: Rindert de Groot, Farid Tabarki), appears with Studio Zeitgeist, Amsterdam. For more activities about the revolution, please visit the website power to the planet Part of the publication […]
lidy van marissing – portrait event, perdu
On Friday 23 September 2022, Perdu presents an evening to celebrate the work of Dutch writer and poet Lidy van Marissing (*1942). Frank Keizer provides an introduction and Arjen Mulder a lecture on her work. In addition, a selection of the film Rooksporen (1991) is shown, based on the screen […]
a new musical language – interview by machiel swillens
On 9 September 2022 the new issue Nr. 1 of De Klank (season 2022/23) appears, the glossy magazine of philharmonie zuidnederland, published by BcM Uitgevers. Part of the new magazine is een nieuwe muzikale taal (a new musical language), an interview with Rozalie Hirs by Machiel Swillens. They talk about […]
artemis (2022) for soprano, ensemble, electronic sounds
artemis (2022) by Rozalie Hirs is a new composition, based on her own poetry, commissioned by Donaueschingen Festival. The soprano Keren Motseri performs its world premiere together with ensemble ascolta on 15 October 2022 during Donaueschingen Festival, Germany.
![article 8 [infinity] (2014) – marieke franssen (flute), uitmarkt, amsterdam](https://rozalie.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/160130-Marieke-Franssen-rehearsal-article-8-infinity-by-Rozalie-Hirs-768x768.jpg)
article 8 [infinity] (2014) – marieke franssen (flute), uitmarkt, amsterdam
During the opening of the Amsterdam cultural season on 28 August 2022 at 13:00 CET the flautist Marieke Franssen performs article 8 [infinity] for flute and electronic sounds (2014) by Rozalie Hirs, alongside other solo works for flute, and duos for flute and voice. The location is the Amsterdam Hall […]
all that green and blue (2022)
all that green and blue (2022) by Rozalie Hirs is a new music composition, based on her own poetry, commissioned Woordnacht Festival.
poets at the prinsentuin, groningen, the netherlands
From 8 until 10 July 2022 the poetry festival Dichters in de Prinsentuin takes place at Hortus Botanicus, Haren (near the city of Groningen), The Netherlands. On Saturday 9 July 2022 Rozalie Hirs performs as one of the guest poets this year: From 14:00-14:30 CET Rozalie Hirs performs alongside Tsead […]
avatar (2022) for orchestra
avatar (2022) is the new orchestral work by Rozalie Hirs, commissioned by philharmonie zuidnederland. The music is dedicated to the memory of Louise Farrenc.
radio portrait, concertzender
On Tuesday 10 May 2022 from 21:00 until 22:00 CET Rozalie Hirs is featured composer during Kroniek van de Nederlandse Muziek (The Chronicles of Dutch Music) at the Concertzender. Curator and host of the evening is Egbert Randewijk. Date: 2022-05-10 Time: 21:00-22:00 CET Location:The Chronicles of Dutch Music, Concertzender (digital […]
listening house (2017), azw, vienna, austria – exhibition
From 17 March 2022 until 15 September 2022 The Listening House (2017) by Machiel Spaan (design) and Rozalie Hirs (music) is part of the exhibition Serious Fun at Architecturzentrum Wien (AzW) in Austria. Curator of the exhibition is independent researcher Mélanie van der Hoorn. At the opening of the show […]
![article 10 [prismes] (2021), solo recital marie ythier, radio france – world premiere](https://rozalie.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/220210-Recital-RadioFrance-MarieYthier-TristanMurail-RozalieHirs-GiacintoScelsi-JonathanHarvey-foto-CarolineDoutre-768x651.jpg)
article 10 [prismes] (2021), solo recital marie ythier, radio france – world premiere
On Sunday 13 February 2022 at 15:00 CET, the French cellist Marie Ythier performs a solo recital during Festival Présences. Part of the concert is the world premiere of a new work by Rozalie Hirs, commissioned by Radio France.
list of musical works
List of musical works by Rozalie Hirs. Orchestral scores. Works for ensemble. Chamber and solo works. Instrumental works with or without electronic sounds. Works for spoken voice, based on own poetry, with or without electronic sounds. Electroacoustic or electronic music.
beeldspraak #10 – elke de rijcke, poëziecentrum, ghent, belgium
14 December 2021. Elke De Rijcke interviews Rozalie Hirs about her new poetry book oneindige zin (Amsterdam: Querido, 2021) for the podcast series Beeldspraak, Poëziecentrum, Ghent, Belgium. The new episode #10 can be listened to online through other media channels as well, including Soundcloud and Spotify. With big thanks to […]
hand in hand (2020) – vpro radio
On 11 December 2021 from 23:00-23:59 CET, Aad van Nieuwkerk presents VPRO Vrije Geluiden on NPO Radio 4. Part of the broadcast includes the new recording made by VPRO of Rozalie Hirs’ composition hand in hand (music, text, 2021), performed by Luna Sting Quartet and Keren Motseri (soprano). Many thanks […]
hand in hand (music and poetry) – podium on saturday, ntr, the netherlands
On Saturdays from 17:00-19:00 CET on the Netherlands radio channel NPO Radio 4 host Wouter Pleijsier presents the radio programme Podium on Saturday (NTR). During the show on 11 December 2021 Rozalie Hirs reads the poetry cycle ‘hand in hand’ [1-5] from her recent book infinite sense (oneindige zin; Amsterdam: […]
hand in hand (2020), vpro vrije geluiden – television broadcast
On Sunday 5 December 2021 from 10:45-11:10 CET the Dutch television broadcaster VPRO presents a new edition of Vrije Geluiden (Free Sounds) with a feature of hand in hand for string quartet and soprano (2020) by Rozalie Hirs. The performers are: Keren Motseri (soprano); Luna Quartet – Janneke van Prooijen, […]