Celebrating our colleagues: Lloyd Van't Hoff
Lloyd Van’t Hoff, Head, Classical Woodwind, Elder Conservatorium of Music.
My first experience hearing a live musical instrument was of my father playing classical guitar when I was a kid. I was envious that he could make it sound so beautiful and yet when I would play it, it wouldn’t.
I started learning the saxophone when I was 11. It was far bigger than me and I wasn’t able to reach the keys, but I remember it had this low and powerful sound.
I was quite adventurous at this time and would try everything – including sports, drama, visual arts, debating and of course, music. The next year I had the opportunity to learn clarinet, which is the instrument that I now play almost exclusively. I remember playing it for the first time, hearing myself make this dainty, petite and mellow sound and I was in awe of that. I loved that it felt like an extension of my voice, like I was singing something. I became enamoured with it.
The life of a professional musician is often akin to that of a wandering minstrel: we travel a lot. Before I was at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, I was a freelancer. I was very lucky to finish my studies and go out into the world to tour. I’d be living out of a suitcase for two or three years, not paying rent because I didn’t need to. I had so many gigs and when I didn’t have one, I would just go home to mum and dad in Brisbane and stay there for a week or two.
COVID was frustrating as everything stopped. For the first time in my life, I felt stuck. I had always loved progress and feeling like I was going somewhere and getting better and expressing myself in new ways. Wanting to study more and with some musical idols like David Shifrin, I applied to go to Yale University. I got a full scholarship and then moved to America. David left an indelible mark on me, and I will always think about the people I met there. I ended up teaching at Yale and was looking to do further study at PhD level when, suddenly, the Director of the Conservatorium reached out to let me know that a job as the Head of Woodwind was open, and I should consider applying for it.
As a musician you’re constantly on the go and don’t have much time to reflect. I feel proud of the ensemble I created, Arcadia Winds, which is a wind quintet based in Melbourne which has been going on for close to 11 years now. We work with a lot of Australian musicians and composers and take it upon ourselves as our mission to ensure there’s a future for this medium in Australia. I’m extremely proud that my chamber music ensemble tours regionally, playing for young school children around Australia and introducing them to wind instruments and potentially hearing live music for the first time. I grew up in a small town called Charters Towers which is 100 plus kilometres West of Townsville and if it wasn’t for chamber music ensembles and talent coming in and out of the town, I probably wouldn't be sitting here. It was an amazing source of inspiration and motivation seeing that, so inspiring the next generation to pick up music is something that I’m proud of.
I toured with a company called Musica Viva in Schools many years ago and we created this educational program that we took to regional areas of Australia, reaching anywhere between ten to twenty thousand school aged children. I saw so much of the country and met a vast array of kids from different backgrounds.
For many, it’s the first time they’re hearing live music, you see their eyes light up and you’ll never forget seeing how they react and how inspired they look. On the flip if you play something bad, they’ll let you know.
Throughout my career, there have been some big-ticket highlights like playing a recital at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but the most memorable things have to do with connection. I’ve toured in China several times and I’ll never forget it, because the audiences react in different ways than Western audiences: you’re treated like superstars. It’s cliché but it really speaks to the idea that music transcends all geographical, social, political, and cultural boundaries. The friendships you make along the way are incredible.
Other than music, I obsess over processes and the making of food. I love what food can mean. I think it all comes from my Mum who is from the Philippines and for her food is a way of showing love. When I moved out of home, she would never ask how I’m going but instead asked what I’m eating or how I’m eating. This was a far stronger measure for her of success and wellbeing. The idea of making and sharing food with others as a way of showing love has stuck with me.
Writer: Lachlan Wallace