“My time at Mostly Modern The Netherlands was filled with not only high spirits, stimulating conversations, and new adventures, but also an earnest passion for music expressed by the composers, administrators, musicians, and audience members alike, in the beautiful setting of Middelburg. It was a truly special experience to feel the history of the place that was once made a home to so much innovative music while being inspired by the innovations and creativity of the composers I was surrounded by there, continuing the tradition of untamed ingenuity. And, of course, I had so much fun!”

“I cannot think of a more welcoming and engaging festival community. MMF | The Netherlands, Muziekschool Zeeland, and the Middelburg community made this an unforgettable experience that I cannot recommend highly enough. I especially enjoyed sharing ideas with the tight-knit cohort of composers and faculty and getting to know the enthusiastic, dedicated performers from across the region.”

“The Mostly Modern Festival in The Netherlands was absolutely fantastic. It was wonderful to be able to work with such a high standard of musicians in such a close manner for such a concentrated period of time, the professional advice and information on offer was exceptional, and the funding and support throughout made the fellowship uniquely accessible and exciting. 

The standard of fellows present was super high and I felt this was such an enormous strength. It was inspiring to spend significant amounts of time talking, discussing, and working with an extremely strong peer group. I found this particularly motivating and engaging. The biggest strength for me, however, was that the festival offered a very different, honest perspective on the classical music world. I appreciated the practicality, I feel like this is something that is often totally absent in musical education, and I am sure it will be enormously helpful to my work in the future. There isn’t another festival like Mostly Modern - I recommend it in the strongest possible terms. I had an absolutely awesome time.”

“The best part of MMF The Netherlands was the people—the composer cohort, the faculty and staff, and all the wonderful musicians who made our music come to life. I felt welcomed and valued by everyone involved in the Festival, and now I’m looking forward to sustaining these new friendships and relationships for many years to come.”

“The performers were great. Enthusiastic and kind, dedicated to the quality of their performances, and eager to realize the composers’ visions. They’re great players, and they worked hard to do justice to our music. Plus everyone was just super sweet, and a joy to work with!

Everyone from Muziekschool Zeeland was wonderful. Robert V., the Director, is impressive, Betty is wonderful, Meike is a delight, and everyone is warm and kind. We were all friends by the end of the week!

I really felt seen and appreciated by the composition faculty. The fact that they believed in me enough to perform this piece and take such good care of me out there… It’s really special.”

“I really enjoyed the Festival, meeting all of you and the other composers, and for all of your hard work and planning every day—it didn’t go unnoticed! I enjoyed every minute of it and think your Festival’s team was extraordinarily friendly, warm, thoughtful, and absolutely wonderful. Cheers for more to come!”