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HKU graduates in Woodcraft debut at North Sea Jazz

Interview Wouter Torringa

Thanks to winning the Dutch Jazz Competition, the string quintet Woodcraft will debut at the North Sea Jazz Festival next Friday. For violinist Wouter Torringa, it's a dream come true. 'That the jazz scene appreciates our music so much is really a great honour.'
HKU graduates in Woodcraft debut at North Sea Jazz
Woodcraft consists of two violinists and three cellists who have been playing together since childhood. They use their instrumental mastery to explore uncharted musical territory. The way they play their string instruments, for instance, makes a rhythm section completely superfluous. And don't dare to pigeonhole their dynamic compositions as 'classical', because that is exactly what they don't want to be.

Tennis outfit

On their website, Woodcraft's musicians pose in retro-look tennis outfits. Out on the court after rehearsal? Wouter: 'You shouldn't take it so literally. It's more because classical instruments have a certain image: that of a classical ensemble. When we think of our image, that's not what we want to project. We chose the tennis outfits so that the first look at the picture immediately shows that we are not a classical ensemble. We are already thinking about new pictures. These will be completely different, but will still show you right away that we are not a traditional classical quintet.'

Woodcraft's two violinists are both HKU students. Noah Hassler-Forest is graduating from Musician 3.0 this year, Wouter Torringa is in the third year of the same course. When they were voted as winners in December last year, what did that feel like for them? Wouter: 'First, I felt disbelief, followed by a feeling of ecstasy. It really came as a complete surprise. That the jazz scene, where none of us actually come from, finds our music so interesting and appreciates it so much... That's really a great honour.'

Expressiveness

The special thing about Woodcraft is that they couple their technical skills with a refreshing conception of music. Experimentation and innovation are paramount, but keeping up their technique is what fills their daily routine. Wouter: 'I really feel that more classical musicians want to go in that other direction. I also see them more and more in the classes at Musician 3.0, or musicians from the classical corner who want to improvise. It's really shifting. Craft remains very important, but it can take different forms. Improvisation can also be a craft, and so can interdisciplinary work or making performances. So yes, even if you are only at a 6.5 in terms of instrumental technique, you can make a difference. If your music has a lot of expressiveness and you can get it across in a certain way - even if it's not 100% through the instrument - then you can also become big with that.'

Traps

Is there no cut-throat competition and mutual jealousy, as you sometimes read about conservatories? Wouter: 'Not as far as I'm concerned. That community vibe is perhaps typical for Musician 3.0. Other studies are a bit more individualistic and take you into a more narrow direction. Musician 3.0 is also very much about your personal development. Say you've had a bad week and didn't manage to present or create something. That too can be valuable, because you can really learn from it. It forces you to look at your stumbling blocks and pitfalls and how you can improve your creative process. You also talk about it with others and learn from each other. It is very open and very realistic, also about the hard parts of being a musician.'
header image: Dana van Leeuwen | photo: Wouter Torringa: Rob van Dam

Woodcraft will play at the North Sea Jazz Festival on July 7, 2023