BIOGRAPHY
Who is Ton Verhiel?
Ton Verhiel (Heerlen, 04-01-1956)
= studied classical saxophone and AMV (music teacher) at the Maastricht Conservatory. His saxophone professor was Norbert Nozy and he visited masterclasses with Leo van Oostrom, Elie Apper, Ryo Noda, Jean-Marie Londeix and Frederick Hemke.
= gave concerts: with organ, with accordion (Duo Concertante) and with other chambermusic-groups. He also founded the former Limburgs Saxophone Trio.
= composed many works for saxophone(s). His two-part method for saxophone was in 1990 the first new Dutch saxophone-method for almost 15 years. In 2004 he finished his second saxophone method “SAX IS FUN”.
= writes compositions for guitar, organ, other windinstruments, choir and many children's songs; he has written articles for several music magazines, so as SAX-INFO of the German Ardesa and the bulletin from the Dutch LVSD; he is the author of a book in Dutch language on history and use of the saxophone, books in English on the saxophone music of Will Eisenmann and Gordon Jacob and on the history of C tenor saxophone; he also was a music-reporter for a local newspaper.
= Several new compositions for saxophone and organ and saxophone-solo were written on his request and have been dedicated to him. In 1992 he performed during the 10th World Saxophone Congres in Pesaro, Italy. There he premiered his own Partita Brève for alto saxophone and organ as well as Preghiera Triangolare for the same combination by Dutch composer Gerard Sars.
= As a saxophone soloist he performed and played concerts and did workshops in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France and in 1992 het performed at the Xth World Saxophone Congres in Pesaro, Italy. He arranged the 2nd Saxophone Concerto by Paul Gilson for saxophone-solo with bandaccompaniment and premiered this version with the Belgium Airforce Band under the bateau of Maurice Dubois. Also he played the first German performance of Carnival by Philip Sparke, the first Dutch performance of the Ballade by Belgium composer Willem Kersters (1994) and the world premiere of the Concertino for Saxophone and strings by Dutch composer Gerard Sars. He performed his own Nightsong on Bavarian (Germany) radio and did a lot of first Dutch performances of pieces for saxophone-solo, saxophone and organ, saxophone and harp and saxophone-trio.
= In 1996 Ton Verhiel was awarded the Culture-price of the city Landgraaf and in 1999 he received the Needle of Honour of the Hessische Musikverband, Germany and in 2004 the Plate of Honour from the same Musikverband.
= Since 2000 he is a member of the Stichting Limburgse Componisten and since 2011 he is president of this composers group.
= Ton Verhiel teaches saxophone in the Music-school Artamuse in Sittard-Geleen in the Netherlands. He is still composing and writing about the history of the saxophone. He also worked as a music teacher in a primary school and with mentally handicapped children.The latter years he is more and more engaged with organisations and the people who work in them.