Mike (June 6, 1998) was born and raised in the Dutch city of Nijmegen.
As a child, I was already fascinated by film and music. I sang melodies that I had heard on television, all day long. At the age of twelve, I started taking piano lessons and after that, I saw the opportunity to write down and develop small compositions that I had in mind. When I was sixteen, I focused more on composition than playing the piano. I noticed that I could compose more easily if a piece was based on pictures and events. Because of this, I discovered my real passion: composing for film.
After I had decided to become a film composer, I started to study at musicube academy in Bonn, Germany. After I succeeded in this study, I received the certificate ‘Film Scoring and Production’. In 2016 I began studying for a bachelor’s degree in ‘Composition for Film and Theatre’ at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, The Netherlands. During my studies, I have had the opportunity to follow an internship with film and trailer composer Joep Sporck in Los Angeles, United States. I received my bachelor’s degree in July 2020 and graduated with an 8 in Dutch academic grade (comparable to an A in US/UK academic grading). At ArtEZ I followed, among other subjects, the following subjects with the undermentioned teachers:
Composition for Film and Theatre:
Andries van Rossem
Matthias Wittwer
Rainer Quade
Dolf de Kinkelder
General music theory:
Jean-Marc Bouyeure
Reinhard Siegert
Orchestration and Harmony:
Reinhard Siegert
Sound Engineering:
Raoul Soentken
Arranging (jazz and pop music):
Hein Buying
In July 2023, I received my Master’s degree in Composition for Screen with distinction from the Royal College of Music in London, United Kingdom. I am honoured to have followed this course as an RCM Scholar.
Meanwhile, I compose and produce music for various fiction and non-fiction films. I have cooperated with directors from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Edinburgh, Sofia and Utrecht. Besides film, I also compose music for dance and theatre. Once in a while I also compose some autonomous pieces. During my studies, I’ve had the opportunity to have my pieces performed by amazing musicians such as Orkest de Ereprijs and the Matangi Quartet.
Although I compose in many different styles and emotions, generally you can describe my music as imaginative, melancholic, and narrative and it will often have melodic elements. My music works the best in animation films and films with a romantic touch. I prefer to write in a classical orchestral setting, but I am open to every musical challenge. Therefore you can also find modern compositions and pop-productions in my projects.
