Biography

Martin van der Brugge: conductor/arranger

Martin van der Brugge obtained his diplomas in orchestral conducting at the Rotterdam Conservatory (1990) and choral conducting at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (1994). He took lessons from Arie van Beek, Ed Spanjaard, Jac van Steen and Hans Vonk.
Martin completed masterclasses in the Netherlands and in the Swiss city of Biel, took part in the prestigious Wiener Meisterkurz with Julius Kalmar and participated in a conducting competition in Brașov, Romania.
Following these first international experiences, he gave concerts with the Vildin Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria), of which he was guest conductor at the time. In 2004 – 2005, Martin was guest conductor of the Mersin State Opera and Ballet in Turkey. Several productions, such as Verdi's Rigoletto, were performed there under his direction. He was also guest conductor in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, affiliated with the Paliashvili Symphony Orchestra and Choir in Tbilisi (Georgia).

Furthermore, in recent years Martin has conducted in Russia, Czechia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Spain, Slovenia and England.

In the Netherlands, he conducts various symphony and chamber orchestras and oratorio choirs.
Martin is a versatile musician and is also active as a composer/arranger. Compositions by him are regularly performed.

Martin van der Brugge:

Former ventures:
Since 2000 he has had his own concert agency: Klassieke Muziek Producties and Sing Along Events. Through his experiences as an impresario and as a conductor, Martin van der Brugge came up with the idea of founding the online agency Boek Solisten Nu . In 2009 he also became the owner of Dirigenten Bemiddeling. In 2010 he founded the advisory firm Nieuw Talent . This firm offers career advice and coaching programs for graduated musicians.