Van der STAAK Pieter

Pieter van der Staak (1930-2007) was an autodidact guitar player till he met Andrés Segovia in 1955. He played for him and was admitted to his masterclass in Sienna, Italy. In Sienna he also met Alirio Diaz and had guitar lessons with him as well. Other musicians who were important for him were Emilio Pujol, with whom he studied the vihuela and ancient musical notation, and Wolfgang Wijdeveld, with whom he studied composition. Because it is not possible in The Netherlands to teach at public music schools without being a certified music teacher, he also studied the guitar with Hans Lutz Niessen at the academy of music in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Pieter van der Staak was a senior guitar teacher at the academy of music in Zwolle till his retirement. He has composed a lot of chamber music, among which works for string quartet, clarinet quintet and cello trio. Besides compositions for cello ensemble and accordion orchestra, he has written music for less common combinations such as guitar, flute and clarinet. He has composed many pieces for one or more guitars because he feels involved with the development of new didactical material and of course because he is a guitar player himself. Most of his compositions have been published in The Netherlands as well as in other countries. Van der Staak has won many international awards. His interest in writing for the guitar combined Pieter van der Staak made long-playing-records with the famous tenor Arjan Blanken, his wife Maria Hol, who plays the cello. Pieter van der Staak also established the Dutch International Guitarweeks Zwolle. A festival regarded as one of the oldest and well known guitar courses. Here young and talented guitar students can study guitar techniques, interpretation and stage presentation under the guidance of international renowned guitarists.