Double Win for the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet at the Dutch Classical Talent 2026
- Ramin Amin Tafreshi
- Jun 15
- 2 min read
Updated: 12 hours ago
The last Dutch Classical Talent (edition 2026) has been a true PHENOMENON: the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet won both the Dutch Classical Talent Award 2026 and the Audience Prize. A Double Win..!!
On a personal note, I’m over the moon. 🌛 Not only am I very proud of their great achievement, but this is also the third Dutch Classical Talent winning project (following the Maat Saxophone Quartet and Joost Willemze) to feature my music, and I'm so grateful for such a wonderful opportunity. 🥰🤗
For this tour, Dokwerk presented their project No Man is an Island, which explores themes of self-isolation and social connection. In an era of information overload, endless notifications, and relentless attempts to capture our attention, one can turn inward and find a quiet island of peace, silence, and spirituality. An island that not only keeps us away from all the noise of modern life, but also creates a safe space for meaningful personal connections.
To present such a metaphor, they curated a beautiful programme in collaboration with Mees Christeller and created an engaging multidisciplinary performance that presents not only contemporary and classical music, but also incorporates storytelling and theatrical elements, combined with the lighting design by Jeroen Oostenveld. Altogether, these elements keep the audience engaged from beginning to end.
The jury: “Boisterous and energetic, that characterizes the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet! The interesting mix of personalities creates a diverse dynamic in which the quartet does not compromise on intonation, timing, and technique. The tasteful and well-thought-out program remains captivating from start to finish.” Dutch Classical Talent 2026
As part of their program, a new version of my piece "A Shimmering Light" for Saxophone Quartet and Narration was premiered alongside pieces by David Dramm, Jörg Widmann, John Cage, and many others.
A Shimmering Light is the story of a lighthouse keeper who lives on a remote island. His monologues reveal his thoughts and observations, which drive him into an unexpected situation. The original version was written for Reed Quintet back in 2022, premiered by the Dianto Reed Quintet, and was commissioned by the Schiermonnikoog Festival.
I have shared the fascinating process of writing the story and the music of this piece on another blog:
A Shimmering Light: an unknown path that I stepped into..!
Check it out ;-)
Huge congratulations to my beloved Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet (Lisa Schreiber, Jen-Hong Wu, Ileana Termini, and Pedro Silva), ❤️ as well as to the whole artistic team: Saskia Mees Christeller, Jeroen Oostenveld, Oier Cáceres, and Zachary West. I'm their proudest friend.
Watch the full concert on YouTube:
"I believe I can fly..!!" 🥹 After Concert Instax - After the Premiere of No Man is an Island - Splendor After Concert Instax - Dokwerk Saxophone Quarte After the Premiere of No Man is an Island - Splendor Me and my tiny Lighthouse - Backstage before the concert in Tilburg After the Concert in Tilburg together with Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet - Dutch Classical Talent 2026 First rehearsal of "A Shimmering Light" together with Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet - DCT 2026 Together with Zachary West, the narrator of "A Shimmering Light", Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ DCT 2026
Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet Dutch Classical Talent 2026 - Photo by Maarten Mooijman
A Shimmering Light on Records
Though it is currently in the incubation phase, the saxophone quartet version of A Shimmering Light will eventually be recorded by the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet for their upcoming album. I am extremely looking forward to that. Stay tuned..!! 🥰🎶🎷
