Hiya Anne, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
1. Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
I am based in The Hague, where I work at the intersection of sound, text, film and composition.
I started out as a performing harpist, but soon found my own way as a composer and maker. Over time, my work expanded beyond music into a broader artistic practice that explores landscape, language and imagination.
Today, I simply describe myself as an artist with a harp.
2.What’s the live music scene like in Den Haag – the Netherlands, right now?
The Hague has a surprisingly diverse and adventurous music scene. Alongside classical music, there is a strong culture of experimentation, sound art and interdisciplinary work, which is something I really value.
What I appreciate most is that different worlds often meet here. Musicians, visual artists, writers and makers regularly cross paths, creating space for new collaborations and ideas. As someone who works between music, text, film and sound, that openness feels very inspiring.
3. Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
I tend to follow artists rather than genres. At the moment I am particularly inspired by Anouk De Clercq, Kae Tempest and Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Their work reminds me that image, language and sound can be equally powerful ways of exploring the world.
I am always curious about artists working at the edges between disciplines, where unexpected connections can emerge.
I am always curious about artists working at the edges between disciplines, where unexpected connections can emerge.
4. Do you think its easy to become a victim of of our surrounds sometimes?
Yes, although I would probably use the word influenced rather than victimised.
We are all shaped by the places we inhabit, the people we meet and the stories we tell ourselves. Much of my work explores that relationship between inner and outer landscapes.
At the same time, boundaries are essential. They offer protection, but they also provide something to push against. In my work, limitations, structures and constraints often become creative starting points. They create the tension needed to explore, question and sometimes break through them.
The challenge is to remain open to the world without losing your own sense of direction.
5. What are your ambitions?
My ambition is to continue building an artistic practice that moves freely between sound, text, film and landscape.
I hope to develop increasingly ambitious projects and collaborations, not for the sake of scale itself, but because some ideas ask for a larger space, new perspectives or different voices.
Above all, I want to keep creating work that invites curiosity, attention and wonder, and to find the people and places where those ideas can flourish.
6. Whats your favourite social media platform to use and why?
At the moment, Bluesky is my favourite social media platform.
It feels less driven by algorithms and more by curiosity. I’ve had thoughtful conversations there about art, poetry and philosophy, often with people I would never have met otherwise.
For someone interested in unexpected connections and interdisciplinary ideas, that makes it a surprisingly inspiring place to spend time.
7. What’s your view on the Music industry today?
I realise I am in a privileged position. I don’t have to create work to satisfy an algorithm or fit neatly into a genre.
That freedom allows me to follow curiosity, take risks and develop projects over a longer period of time. In many ways, I see that as a luxury.
8. Whats your thoughts on AI generated music?
AI will undoubtedly change the way music is made and distributed. One potential danger is that we become overwhelmed by an endless stream of content.
At the same time, I believe people will continue to seek out work that feels personal, distinctive and meaningful. In a world of abundance, genuine artistic voices may become even more valuable.
I have always believed in niches, communities and human responses. Technology may change, but our desire for connection remains remarkably constant.
In that sense, I am more curious than worried.
9. Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
One of the biggest lessons has been learning to trust my own pace.
Not every project needs to happen quickly. Some ideas take years to find their final form, and I’ve learned that patience can be just as important as action. RIFF is a good example of that. What began as a simple harp recording eventually became something I could never have planned from the start.
Sometimes the work knows where it wants to go before I do.
10.What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
To be honest, Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert has been on repeat lately.
It’s a recording I never seem to tire of. Every time I return to it, I hear something different.
11.What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
When I was still performing as a classical harpist, I once completely lost my place in the middle of a piece and froze.
With no idea how to get back on track, I started improvising. The audience seemed perfectly happy, but I was mildly horrified. It was a useful lesson: I discovered that I enjoyed improvisation far more than I enjoyed unexpectedly improvising a classical piece.
In retrospect, it was probably an early sign that my future lay in creating my own work rather than performing someone else’s.
12. I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
My newest release, RIFF, has been quite a long journey.
It started as a harp recording I made years ago. Recently, I revisited it with producer and sound designer Thijs de Melker, and together we transformed it into an ambient soundscape inspired by Bob Gramsma’s land art monument Riff, PD#18245.
What began as a few harp strings ended up becoming an entire world of sound.
13. What was the recording process like?
It felt more like a conversation than a recording process.
I gave Thijs a harp recording, and he answered back in sound. What fascinated me was hearing how he responded to the music through his own language of texture, space and atmosphere.
RIFF grew out of that dialogue.
14. Would you change anything now it’s finished?
I think every piece reaches a point where you have to let it go.
Could I keep changing things? Probably. But at some stage the work starts to belong to itself rather than to the artist.
There’s a certain irony in that. RIFF spent several years quietly sitting on a shelf as a harp recording before eventually finding its way into the world in a completely different form.
Right now, I am more interested in where RIFF might lead next than in revisiting what is already there.
15. Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
I’m fascinated by the ripple effect of music.
A piece can begin with something very small: a few notes, a conversation, a moment of curiosity. Yet once it enters the world, it starts a life of its own, connecting with people, places and ideas in ways that are impossible to predict.
That is one of the things I love most about making art. You never really know how far a small gesture might travel, and I find that both humbling and hopeful.
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