Sipke Hoekstra (1976) was born in Leeuwarden, the capital of the province of Fryslân (Frisia), in the Netherlands. At age eight, he took up violin playing, started composing at age nine and when he was eleven, he was admitted to the pre-preparatory music training sessions of the Groningen Conservatoire. There he received his first lessons in Music Theory and his first lessons in Composition. As a teenager, he was appointed leader and deputy conductor of the Frisian Youth Orchestra, which played some of his early works, as did a variety of other amateur and student ensembles.
After graduating from secondary school, Hoekstra first studied Classical Violin (ArtEZ Institute of the Arts) and then History (Groningen University) for a while. He then studied Musicology at Utrecht University, in which he received his doctoral degree in 2006. In the meantime, he had already produced a significant amount of works, including a Symphony, two String Quartets, a Mass and a variety of songs. In 2007 and 2008 he took private lessons in Renaissance and  Baroque Counterpoint with the late Dr. Gert Oost. Finally, in 2010 he studied Composition with the Dutch composer Caroline Ansink at the Utrecht Conservatoire.
The premiere of Sipke Hoekstra’s symphonic poem ‘Saga’, during the National Youth Symphony Orchestra Competition of the Netherlands 2015 in the Akoesticum in Ede, received a special Akoesticum Prize. 'Saga' was played again during the finals on June 13th 2015, in which the FJO won the 1st prize, in the prestigious concert hall De Doelen in Rotterdam. In May 2015, Sipke Hoekstra also received a bronze medal in the Malta International Composition Competition, for his Third String Quartet, 'First Movement.' In 2015 Hoekstra was admitted as a member of Nieuw Geneco, the Dutch Association for Professional Composers, by means of peer balloting.
Among his most recent commissioned works are the 'Prometheus Passion', a passion for soloists, choir and ensemble, 'Spectrum a 4', a quartet for Flute, Oboe, Marimba and Pianoforte, 'Sonatina', written in two versions: one for two Oboes and Pianoforte as well as one for Oboe, Flute and Marimba, ‘Frede’ (‘Peace’), a song cycle for Soprano, Mixed Choir and Pianoforte and a solo work for marimba, commissioned by and written for Arjan Jongsma: 'Clio's Patchwork.'
All works are or will be published by Donemus. Some of Hoekstra’s recent works can be found on cd releases by Aliud Records and can be found on all important international streaming platforms. 
 
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