Trevor Grahl, alumnus of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA), has won the Matthijs Vermeulen Award with his work Śpiewnik. During the Dag van de Componist, on Saturday, June 21, 2025, the prize will be awarded during the final concert at Museum Speelklok in Utrecht.

With Śpiewnik, Trevor Grahl creates a world of sound in which memory and identity are both celebrated and questioned. The jury praised his exceptional craftsmanship and his ability to subtly intertwine personal history, cultural roots, and musical innovation.

About Trevor Grahl
Trevor Grahl (1984) is a Canadian-Dutch composer living and working in Amsterdam. His work is characterized by rich layering and musical references, and is performed worldwide by leading musicians and ensembles. He studied composition at McGill University and the University of California, San Diego, and continued his education at the CvA under Richard Ayres. His music has been featured at international festivals such as Huddersfield and Gaudeamus, and has been praised for its inventiveness and theatrical power. Grahl is a composition teacher at the Koninklijk Conservatorium and plays an active role in the development of the (hyper)organ at Orgelpark Amsterdam.

Grahl: “As a composer from the early millennial generation, surviving often meant years of teaching and supporting others - work that frequently took precedence over my own artistic practice. This award gives me the space to prioritize my creative work and affirms, despite persistent doubt, that I can convey something through my music that resonates with others and, in doing so, give something back to a world that has given me so much.”

The Matthijs Vermeulen Award
The Matthijs Vermeulen Award is the most prestigious composition prize in the Netherlands, valued at €20,000. Named after composer Matthijs Vermeulen, who passed away in 1967, the prize is awarded biennially by the Performing Arts Fund NL.