It is not often that a composer has a long list of performers and ensembles who are each hoping to have a new work written especially for them. Vanessa Lann is such a composer. She has written the majority of her works on commission since 1991 and has received multiple performances of most works by enthousiastic players from all over the world! She is known for understanding not only the technical strengths of her players, but also the qualities of performance style and attitude that give each player and piece an individual flavor. The following is a list of works written on commission; reference to monetary awards is included:
(Photo credit, Vanessa Lann: Tom Broido)

More details about instrumentation, duration and publication.

DAYBREAK - for Yonatan Malin & Ellen Kim (USA), 1989

BENEATH THE VEILS - for the Nieuw Ensemble (The Netherlands), 1991

ENTRANCED BY THE BECKONING LIGHT - for Ananda Sukarlan (The Netherlands), 1991

MADNESS AND THE MOONWOMAN - for the Hex Ensemble (The Netherlands), 1991

HELEN'S SONG - for Helen Webby (The Netherlands), 1992

DANCING TO AN ORANGE DRUMMER - for ensemble 'De Ereprijs' (The Netherlands), 1993

EMBRACING THE CURRENTS OF AVALON - for the Alaska Brass Quintet , Alaska State Council On the Arts (USA), 1993

IN THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF MY SOLITUDE - for Liesbeth Steffens & Pieter Smithuijsen, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1993

HERMAN'S SONG - for Scott Blick & Anthony Fogg (Australia), 1994

INNER PIECE - for Tomoko Mukaiyama, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1994

COMING HOME - for the Maarten Altena Ensemble, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1994

AMERICAN ACCENTS - for Wim Konink & Marcel Andriessen, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1995

DAN NEEM IK EEN BLOEMKOOL - for Harry Sparnaay, Taco Kooistra and Yoko Abe (The Netherlands), 1995

DD (DOUBLE D) - for Guy Livingston (USA), 1995

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT - for Jannie Pranger & Tomoko Mukaiyama, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1996

TOWARDS THE CENTER OF INDIGO - for the Syrinx Saxophone Quartet, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1996

THE WAY OF THE RAM - for Orkest de Volharding, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1997

MASQUERADE IN RIBBONS - for the Escher Ensemble, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1997

IN THE MOMENT - for the Brisk Recorder Quartet (The Netherlands), 1997

MY DOVE, MY BEAUTIFUL ONE - for Patricia Werner Leanse (The Netherlands), 1998

RECALLING CHIMES - for Ivo Janssen, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1998

THE KEY TO THE FOURTEENTH VISION - for Benjamin Schmid, Rotterdam Arts Foundation (The Netherlands), 1999

RESURRECTING PERSEPHONE - for Eleonore Pameijer and the Radio Kamerorkest / AVRO Radio, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 1999

SECOND NATURE - for Tomoko Mukaiyama and Carsten Schmidt, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2000

LUCIFER'S SUN - for Harry Sparnaay and Annelie de Man, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2001

LEAPS OF FAITH - for Marcel Worms (The Netherlands), 2001

OBJECTS OF RITUAL - for Ensemble Wendingen, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2001

THE STONE - for Marieke Schneemann (The Netherlands), 2001

THE BOOK - for Frank van den Brink (The Netherlands), 2001

THE MASK - for Heleen Hulst (The Netherlands), 2001

THE BOWL - for Hans Woudenberg (The Netherlands), 2001

THE CANDLE - for Marja Bon (The Netherlands), 2001

GARDENER OF THE STREAM - for the Nederlands Studentenorkest, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2002

VALSE ANCIENNE, or THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING OUT A WINDOW - for Doris Hochscheid and Frans van Ruth, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2003

SLEEP, SLEEP GYPSY - for KAIDA, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2003

MICRO-FOHN, or WITCHES, WORDS AND THE WIND - for ELECTRA, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2004

IS A BELL... A BELL? - for Isabel Ettenauer, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2004

MEMORY DEMANDS SO MUCH - for Pauline Graham and Patrick Hopper, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2005

ILLUMINATING ALEPH - for Alberto Mizrahi, Cappella Amsterdam and instrumental ensemble (project: Korzo Music Productions), Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2005

THE FLAMES OF QUIETUDE - for the Residentie Orkest, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2006

LANDSCAPE OF A SOUL'S REMEMBERING - for the Doelen String Quartet, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2006

SPRINGS ETERNAL - for Liza Ferschtman and Inon Barnatan, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2007

DIVINING APOLLO - for Hans Woudenberg and the Schoenberg Ensemble, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (The Netherlands), 2008

KNOWING ROSE - for Cristina Zavalloni, Monica Germino and Andrea Rebaudengo, Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten+ (The Netherlands), 2009

AMERICAN, WOMAN - for Irene Maessen and Eleonore Pameijer, Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten+ (The Netherlands), 2009

DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS - for the Utrechts Blazers Ensemble, Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten+ (The Netherlands), 2009

(photo: Vanessa presenting Patrick Hopper and Pauline Graham with new work, "Memory Demands So Much," in March, 2005)

Irene Maessen and Marcel Worms perform Memory Demands So Much
(soprano and piano / text: Denise Levertov: 14'30")

For more information about Vanessa Lann, please click here for her DONEMUS Composer's Brochure, in both English and Dutch.

Clara and Robert Schumann