BIOGRAPHY
Rozemarie Heggen (b.1964) began her musical career playing clarinet in a wind orchestra in the south of the Netherlands where she was brought up. She started at age 7 on Eb-clarinet, and several years later moved on to Bb-clarinet. At 17 she started to study at the Conservatory of Maastricht, meanwhile also playing bass-clarinet. While on tour with an orchestra she got her hands on the double bass and realized that this was the instrument she really wanted to play. From that point on her focus was on the double bass, which she moved to Amsterdam with in 1985, and studied for 2 years at the Sweelinck Conservatory.
Her musical focus was already on contemporary music and improvisation. During her studies she has been solo double bassist of the Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and of the Jeunesses Musicales World Youth Orchestra. In 1990 she received her teaching and performing diploma’s at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
Since completing her studies (as if studying ever stops!) she has worked with all of the main orchestras and contemporary music groups in the Netherlands, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Radio Chamber Orchestra, Asko/Schonberg Ensemble.
Nowadays she is mainly working as a performer of contemporary music and as an improvising musician.
As an improviser she has performed with a.o. Michael Moore, John Butcher, Ken Vandermark, Paul Dunmall, Xavier Charles, Han Bennink, Francoise Rivalland, Hamid Drake, Tony Buck, Tewolde Brhane Girmay.
She was a member of the Nieuw Ensemble from 1997 till 2003, they’ve toured through China, Korea, the USA and within Europe. A big part of their explorations was in new chinese music.
Over the years she has collaborated with several choreographers like Gonnie Heggen (Amsterdam), Hisako Horikawa (Japan) and Sylvain Prunenec (Paris).
She has performed with the Ex Orkest and was a member of the punk/rock/impro band The Ex from 2002 till 2005, with tours through the USA, Ethiopia and Europe.
Since 2007 she plays in a duo with Mary Oliver. She plays in a trio with Francoise Rivalland (percussion) and Hans Tutschku (piano/electronics), in ‘High Birds’ with Paul Dunmall, Alan Purves and Hilary Jeffery, in ‘Doubles’ with Joost Buis, Maartje ten Hoorn and Will Guthrie, in the David Kweksilber Bigband and Magpie Music Dance Company.
CD’s, DVD
HYPERION, Bruno Maderna, Asko Ensemble – Montaigne782014
RUTH CRAWFORD SEEGER PORTRAIT, Schönberg Ensemble – Deutsche Grammophon 449 925-2
COMPOSITION ll, Galina Ustvolskaya, Schönberg Ensemble – Philips 442 532-2
THREE SONGS, Peter Lieberson, Asko Ensemble – Deutsche Grammophon 457 606-2
LES MAMELLES DE TIRESIAS, Francis Poulenc, Nieuw Ensemble – Sabam crescendo 92056
EXTREME POSITIONS, Philip Corner, The Barton Workshop – New World Records 80659-2
FORMAT KILLER, Kraakgeluiden Document 1 – Unsounds 06U
FIETS, a duo cd with electric guitarist Terrie Ex - Terp IS-05
TURN, The Ex – EX 090/091D
BUILDING A BROKEN MOUSETRAP, THE EX in NEW YORK , a film by Jem Cohen and Matt Boyd – Ex 105V, TG 307dvd(Touch and GO RECORDS)
HIGH BIRDS Vol.1 – DUNS limited edition, DLE 058
HIGH BIRDS Vol.2 – DUNS limited edition, DLE 059