Interview with Peter Kooij

Firstly, I'd like to thank Peter Kooij for accepting the interview and also thank Joanna Klisowska for making the interview possible.

1. You started your musical adventure as a violinist. Why didn't you continue the career as an insrumentalist? Was there any special reason why you decided to dedicate to singing?

The reason that i stopped to study the violin was, that i had physical problem with my shoulder which made it impossible to study on.


2. Do you still have violin at home? Do you play it sometimes?

I still have my baroque violin at home and so now and then i play a little. The last time i played it in a concert was with my niece Janine Jansen and Julian Rachlin………not bad don`t you think?

3. Your wide repertoire contains all kinds of music, but there must be a kind that you enjoy singing the most. What musical period or musical form is your favourite and why?

Early Baroque and Baroque-music i love to sing. Mostly the church music of that period. People lived in a time of greatest fear for war, deceases and poverty. the only thing to rely on was there faith in God. This combination led to amazing compositions…….  Stupid "big brother" stories of most Händel opera`s don`t interest me at all. 

Of course  J.S.Bach is the god of every musician and i am happy that i can sing most of my concerts with his heavenly creations.
But also the music from the north of Germany just before Bach is fantastic and not very well known….
Mathias Weckmann, N. Bruhns, D.Buxtehude a.s.o. 
H.Schütz, J.H. Schein did write masterpieces.
More known for example is Telemann, who started to write simple recorder triosonate`s, but at the end of his long life he composed almost classical music…. 

4. Your recent CD Close Thine Eyes which you recorded with Joanna Klisowska is a collection of works of the most prominent English composers. Where did the idea of the project come from?

From Joanna. Nowadays it is very difficult to record "less known" music with "less-known musicians", and i am very grateful to the Dutch Consulate in Italy - Consolato Generale del Regno di Paesi Bassi a Milano that they made it possible, that we could record this great music.

5. The CD will be available in Poland this autumn. Are you planning any tour promoting the recording?

As i said before, it is more easy to plan a tour with " the Messiah " than with a Purcell program…
The CD will be released in a very short time. Normally it takes about 1 to 2 years between recording and releasing.
Because my schedule is full till mid 2014 unfortunately it will be very difficult to find some days to promote this CD.

6. You are also an academic professor. What is more stressful for you: giving concerts in the most important musicial scenes in the world or being responsable for the education of young people? What brings you more satisfaction?

I like to do concerts. Stressful is the traveling! In a big tour you cannot enjoy the cities where you are singing, like a lot of people seam to think. Every day another hotel, early flights a.s.o.
Teaching is not stressful at all and i find it important to make young people enthusiastic for my profession.
Also the combination of doing a lot of concerts and the teaching is important (for me) and my students. When you know what is going on in the scene at the moment, you also can advice them in that way. And…… a couple of my students i recommend to some of the conductors i work with , or ask them to sing in my ensemble.

7. Nowadays it seems that classical music is not popular anymore. Are there fewer young people willing to study classical singing than some years ago? What are your observations?

My observation is, that in school there is no musical education at all anymore.
No money for culture…….and it starts in the schools!!!

8. How would you encourage young people who are not confident enough to take a risk and become classical singers?

When you are not confident enough to take the risk in choosing this profession, and when you don`t take risks when you are singing, then it would be better to study law….. 

Polish version