The “Vriezenveense Harmonie” (Vriezenveen Concert Band) was founded on 1 January 1920 and was awarded the Royal Medal of Honour in 1995. It is a member of KNFM and has approximately 220 members, to be divided into 3 orchestras and 2 percussion groups.

From local to national

Who could predict in the early years, when Vriezenveen was still “Vriezenveensch” , that 70 years later this concert band would be performing in Dutch concert halls ? It required quite some hard work to do so, but it was especially through the commitment and friendship among its members that this was made this possible. The concert band, as the villagers of Vriezenveen will say, developed from a parochial band into a band that is definitely to be counted among the top-rank Dutch amateur orchestras. Many people still want to hear the music that was played in the past. They can do so by listening to the audio-archives, which can be accessed on the website, after permission is given.

The percussion group

In 1950 a marching band was added to the concert band. Thanks to the musicians of this band, The “Vriezenveense Harmonie” found a place in the hearts of many. While the concert band was still in its budding stage, they were already performing at top level. In 1999 they were awarded the national title. The current percussion group, conducted by Marcel van Nieuwland, is always in pursuit of new rhythms, thereby forever mutating. Unlike national trends, the interest in percussion in Vriezenveen has grown considerably of late.

The orchestra

During the mid-nineties the A-orchestra, under the leadership of Arnold Span, reached the highest level, culminating in the national title of KNFM in 2003. In 2004 it represented Holland in an international contest in France, to come home triumphantly with the Prix d’ Excellence. In 2006 it was the first Dutch champion of concert bands to be officially recognized by all combined music federations. Arnold Span’s career developed and deepened as well : in December 2008 he was appointed artistic leader/conductor of the Royal Military Band “Johan Willem Friso”. The memory to be cherished most is probably the – unexpected – national championship that was gained by the B-orchestra in 1995. Having invested so much into the musical education of young people for so many years, the B-orchestra, guided by Rita Kleinjan, was thus crowned properly and justly.

Music teaching

The “Vriezenveense Harmonie” is also an independent school, at which General Musical Education and instrumental lessons are taught. Those who only attend the 2 years’course of GME are no club members, but those who go for instrumental training usually are. A membership card does have certain advantages : a discount is given for tuition fees and pupils learn already at an early stage how to get involved in a social surrounding. The teachers at the training centre have the necessary qualifications and train pupils for the official music-diplomas. In 2007 a new training department for wind instruments was started with a central position for the cello. The number of pupils has greatly increased of late. This is, undoubtedly, also caused by the fine collaboration with the local primary schools, where musical projects have become a regular phenomenon. As a result of all this the “Vriezenveense Harmonie” must invest a lot into instruments, human resources and into extending the club building, and this explains that the club is always in dire need of (financial) aid.

Odeon

The club building was designed by H. Klunder, C.E., and it complies with all requirements. Without the helping hand of so many volunteers, sponsors and the local population this prestigious project would have been impossible. It consists of a spacious hall measuring ± 190 m2 , 4 classrooms, a music library, a repair shop, 1 storage room for uniforms and 1 for the instruments, a board room, a fully equipped bar and to top it all : a terrace on the waterfront facing south. The central hall is well isolated, due to its being surrounded by a corridor, and it boasts excellent acoustics, which make the hall very suitable to record performances there. In 2006 a digital copy of this remarkable building was used in the computer simulation game SimCity 4tm .

Vjenne

To celebrate the opening of Odeon and to express gratitude for the support given by the inhabitants and by the local trade and industry, the Hungarian composer Frigyes Hidas ( † 7 March 2007) was commissioned to compose a piece on the history of Vriezenveen, resulting into Vjenne, a composition which he lived to attend its maiden performance on 25 June 1999. The treasure of this musical score is kept in the “Historisch Museum Vriezenveen” .