GET TO KNOW SJOERD

“Telling moving stories through music, that’s what I love to do. There is no better way to achieve that than combining music and film. Telling real stories.”

Sjoerd van der Ven is a film composer based in the Netherlands. He has worked on films such as Tuintje in mijn Hart, Sneekweek and Spaak. From an early age, Sjoerd was inspired by sound and learned to play the piano and drums. His taste in music is wide-ranging, but after experiencing the moving emotional power in film music himself, he decided to study composition for film at the Music and Technology Conservatory in Utrecht.

Sjoerd took up an apprenticeship with Ronald Schilperoort and participated in the Metropole Acadamy for Film Music. He also received a scholarship from BUMA in Motion, which allowed him to join the MSH International Summer Academy in Hamburg, Germany. There he attended private masterclasses from composer Joe Kraemer (Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher), orchestrator Youki Yamamoto (The Duchess, The Vow), and Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burt (Star Wars, Wall-E). Sjoerd's interest in music is wide-ranging and the same can be said of his style, which ranges from orchestral to electronic music. He loves to experiment with different styles and sounds, to create the impact that works best for the story.