Pioneering guitarist and composer Aart Strootman (1987) studied guitar in Tilburg with HeinSanderink, obtaining his Bachelor’s in Music cum laude in 2008. Subsequently, he received his Master’s in Music cum laude with the highest grade (10/10) at Conservatory Fontys & Zuyd in 2010. At the same institute he graduated with a Master’s in Music Theory and at the University of Utrecht he obtained a MA in Musicology. Currently, he is a PhD candidate at the university of Leiden via the DocArtes program.
Since 2009 Aart Strootman teaches music history, ear training and analysis at the Fontys Academy for Music and Performance Arts in Tilburg and since 2020 music history and music theory courses for creative departments at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
In 2012 Aart Strootman was awarded “Brandstof” talent by the BKKC, followed the next two years by MuziekLab’s “New Arrivals”. In 2014 Aart was granted “Nieuwe maker” by the Dutch Fund of Performing Arts. With this support he followed masterclasses in composition with Nik Bärtsch in Zürich. In September 2017 he won the international Gaudeamus composition where the jury described him as ‘a complete original: a performer, an improviser, an inventor and a unique composer.’ In May 2018 he won the 1st prize at the Prix Annelie de Man composition competition and in December of that year the 1st prize at the International Viola Congress. In 2019 he received the most important prize for composers in The Netherlands, the prestigious MatthijsVermeulenprijs. A year later he was awarded the BUMA classical award and in 2022 the SchoklandPrize from the ensemble Black Pencil.
He has played solo with Britten Sinfonia, the HR, WDR, SWR, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Aarts music has been performed by F.C. Jongbloed, DissonArt Ensemble, TEMKO, KLANG, Storioni, Slagwerk Den Haag, Axolot, Residentie Orkest, Mallet Collective, Asko|Schönberg, Bang on a Can, Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland, s t a r g a z e, Kaleidoscope ensemble L.A., Sandbox Percussion, Black Page Ensemble and many others.