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About Erica

Within the versatility of all art forms, Erica sees herself primarily as a “storyteller”: expressing a story, an experience or emotion, using the medium that best serves that purpose. Music is her biggest focus and always plays a role on stage.

In addition to being a performing artist, Erica has been affiliated with the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague since 2020. Among other things, she teaches accodeon within PI: a program designed specifically for preschoolers, and Young KC, a preliminary program for children ages 6 to 10. Empathizing with young children’s experiences, teaching aurally, stimulating curiosity and creativity: these are the key elements of her teaching practice.

Erica is passionate about creating new timbres, images and stories. Touch, but also challenge the audience with (still) unheard composers, unusual sounds and surprising angles. Making music in the here and now, responding to the environment, is indispensable to her; regardless of whether it is (fully) improvised, or (fully) notated. Sometimes in dialogue with a fellow musician, but always in dialogue and contact with the audience.

As a classical musician, she plays a lot of early and contemporary music. She enjoys collaborating with composers, which has resulted in dozens of new solo pieces and chamber music works. After studying classical music, she further developed in folk and improvised music. Curiosity about (still) unknown music, culture, history, brings a broad musical palette, which she also likes to connect. So she prefers to play concerts in which the common thread is a theme or a story, with music from all sorts of angles and eras.

In 2016, she founded Roadrunner; an ensemble that sits between contemporary, folk and improvised music with much emphasis on her own written work. Every year they organize the Roadrunner Academy week, a week for young composers concluding with a concert featuring the new pieces.

Painting is a way for Erica to express emotions and her perceptions. The paintings usually do not precede a set plan, but arise during the making itself.

She has exhibited at the Orange Church as part of a Hannah Arendt exhibit. This has also inspired her to create a concert program around this philosopher, where visual art meets music.

In addition, she occasionally works on commission. For example, Erica designed the CD cover of “Dos Klezmer Shifl,” by The Klezmer Society.

Since 2017, Erica has participated in four school performances. During the performances, she discovered her affinity for acting and connecting with children during and after the performance.

Then in 2022, she wrote her first own children’s performance called Night Owl. This performance she performs solo and is based on her own stories and memories.

In all theater performances, music plays a large and important role.