Biografie

Curriculum Vitae Alan Laurillard 2009

After completing his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering (1972), Alan left Vancouver, Canada and went to the Netherlands to established himself as an active musician and composer.\nAs bandleader and composer of the free funk Noodband and the Greetje Bijma Kwintet, he performed in the 1970s and 1980s at many major European festivals (Berliner, North Sea (6 times), Cologne, Bern, Leipzig, Moers, Lubliana, Vienna, among others). After this period he redirected his attention to the modern developments in organ music and electronic music. This resulted in several bands with top Dutch and international musicians.\nExotic ensembles such as Airgame (with harmonium, laptop and recorder), Jerkstation (solo workstation), the Beat Sharks (dance music ensemble), the young musicians group In Da Da Pocket, the 12-man percussion ensemble Slam Beat City, the conductor lead ZuiderZee Orkest and the church organ ensemble Up There are just a few of them. In 1982 Alan received the Boy Edgar Prijs, the top Dutch national jazz award.

Music performance

1955 – 1963 Member of the North Vancouver Schools Orchestra, in 1960 the Canadian Champion senior band.

1959 – 1972 Semi professional musician in rock & roll, soul, rhythm & blues and big band.

1977 to present

• Leader and composer for several successful international groups: the Noodband, the Greetje Bijma Kwintet, the Tam Tam Fanfare, the Up There Ensemble and others.
• Artistic director and initiator of Luchtkastelen, a church organ festival in the Netherlands. (2002 and 2006)
• Projects with international artists:\nSubroto Roy Chowdury (India) – sitar, Klaas Hoek (Holland) – church organ, Tony Buck (Australia) – sample specialist, Greetje Bijma (Holland) – voice, Phil Minton (UK) – voice, Ray Anderson (USA) – trombone, Bruno Tomazo (Italy) – bass, David Moss (USA) – drums and electronics, Wolter Wierbos (Holland) – trombone, Jaap Blonk (Holland) – voice, Michel Godard (France) – tuba, Xu Fengxia and Wu Wei (China), Burton Greene (USA)

Sinds 2007 Alan lives part time in Bulgaria. There he has the projects; JAVELIN, a Bulgarian style rock band, an ensemble (the Dobrich Arts Ensemble) with members of the Dobrich Wind Orchestra, the End Blues Band (country blues) and a project with the Dobrich Poets Collective. He has also written 5 compositions for the duo Rosica Boiadjieva – flute and Nicolay Temniskovi – tuba.

Compositions 1960 – 1962 Private study in music theory, composition and arranging with Gordon Webster (Vancouver)

1977 to present

• 200 compositions for workshop orchestras
• 450 compositions for jazz, improvised music, world music and beat oriented ensembles
• 40 compositions for church organ ensembles
• 50 compositions and arrangements for other diverse groups and large orchestras and symphony orchestras.
• Member of Buma (650 registered compositions)
• yearly subsidy granted by the Dutch Fund for Composition.
• 16 CD’s and LP’s with original compositions.

Teaching Experience

1977 to present

In his carrier Alan has taught and lead 40 different workshop orchestras, most in Holland but also in Germany, Poland, Mexico, Bulgaria, and Kenya. Apart from many private lessons, he has taught jazz and popular music for two years at the Groningen conservatory.