6 Questions for Nicholas Kok
An Interview
Nicholas Kok is an extremely versatile conductor and musician: not just a conductor and composer, he is also a gifted pianist and accompanist, who has worked at numerous prestigious institutions at home and abroad. He has written music for the BBC Singers, the Danish Radio VokalEnsemblet, the Hanke Brothers and the Junge Oper Stuttgart.
What was your first composition?
I wrote a pop song when I was 12, called ‘Fire’. I remember that it was in C major and that the music, which was heavily influenced by Elton John, was better than the lyrics, which were shocking!
Which other composers inspire you?
A huge number of composers inspire me: I listen to a vast array of musical styles. If I have to mention names, I think I would go with the following: Tallis; Monteverdi; Händel (I love his interest in human beings); Mozart; Mahler; Elgar; Stravinsky; Messiaen; Ligeti; Sir Harrison Birtwistle; Mark-Anthony Turnage; Errollyn Wallen; Elton John; Stevie Wonder; Donald Fagen … but most of all, J.S. Bach.
Your most emotional musical experience to date?
The most recent was hearing the Tallis Scholars last year singing works by Byrd and Tallis. The performances were tremendous: they moved me immensely, and at the same time made me feel slightly homesick!
Where do you prefer to compose?
In the forest. I try to work through my ideas before writing anything down.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am hoping to write a piece for a vocal octet in Poland: it is at the planning stage. However, I am about to work as conductor on a project with the SWR Vokalensemble: there are a lot of notes to learn!
When you‘re not composing or making music, then …
Well, I try not to spend all my time worrying about the state of the world … I enjoy going to the opera and to concerts, cooking, wine, gardening, walking and meals with my family.
Nicholas Kok
Alleluia (Ding dong)
Coro (SATB)
Carus 7.470/00
Nicholas Kok studied at Oxford and the Royal College of Music and was Principal Conductor of the East of England Orchestra from 1996 to 2006 and of Psappha, the leading ensemble for contemporary music, from 2007 to 2011. He has conducted numerous operas at major opera houses such as the English National Opera and Stuttgart Opera and has worked with leading orchestras such as the Gewandhaus and the BBCSO. He is also known for his long-standing collaboration with the BBC Singers and numerous radio and CD recordings.
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