Jong Metropole & Bill Laurance

The program features works from Laurance’s entire catalogue, including a world premiere of a new work rearranged especially for this concert. Much of the material is being realized live for the first time as originally intended; with a 50-piece symphony orchestra.

Keyboardist, composer and arranger Bill Laurance is one of the driving forces behind Snarky Puppy. He also has an impressive career as a composer and soloist and is artist in residence at Morley College London. The bond between the Metropole Orkest and Bill is close. In addition to the joint performances, he wrote a concerto for two cellos for the Cello Biennale 2022. As a passionate teacher, he gives masterclasses all over the world. He can therefore not wait to tackle compositions by Snarky Puppy and himself with Jong Metropole. Bill Laurance: ‘Because of the experiences I’ve had with my fellow band members of Snarky Puppy and collaborations with inspiring musicians such as David Crosby, Terence Blanchard, Lalah Hathaway, Jacob Collier, Metropole Orkest and the WDR Bigband. I have also had many inspiring teachers in the past, passing on this knowledge and experience to the next generation is a responsibility I feel very deeply’.

Arranger, trumpet player and band leader Simon Dobson leads Jong Metropole. In recent years, Simon has become one of the permanent partners of the Metropole Orkest. First as an arranger and later as a conductor at the ADE, among others. As he says himself: ‘I can’t wait to do this project with Jong Metropole. By guiding young musicians through a project at this stage of their lives, they can gain experiences that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. As an arranger and conductor, I hope to give the students insight into the combinations of these elements.’

The program will mainly consist of Bill Laurance’s own pieces, based, among other things, on his latest albums.

Jong Metropole is made possible by the Keep an Eye Foundation and the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, thanks in part to the Maaike Helena de Gaaij Travel Fund, the Jan and Tina Huizinga Fund, the Young Musicians Fund, the Keep an Eye Foundation, and the Angela E. Fund.