Erik Somers leads with passion, energy, and musicality.
About Erik Somers
Erik Somers is a passionate conductor and horn player with a rich musical background. During his horn studies at the conservatories of Tilburg and Maastricht, he played for five years in the National Youth Orchestra and has also substituted in various positions in renowned orchestras such as the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Brabants Orchestra, Limburg Orchestra, and the Metropole Orchestra.
Musical experience
Since 1991, he has been a horn player at Harmonie St. Michaël van Thorn and has also been the assistant conductor since 2000. Here, he has led numerous concerts and a CD recording. Additionally, he is currently working as a conductor with various wind orchestras in Heythuysen, Hapert and Tilburg.
In 1998 and 1999, he was the conductor of the ZomerOrkest Nederland. For that unique project orchestra, he subsequently served as artistic director for five years.
Arranging
As an arranger, he has written more than 200 transcriptions, including the popular Queen Symphony and Genesis Suite, which are performed worldwide. His recent work includes the urban variant of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, specially arranged for wind orchestra with street dance.
In addition to arranging these grand theatrical works, he has also written many arrangements for smaller ensembles, such as the St. Michael Brass series, the Zuiderwind series (for the Zuiderwind wind ensemble), and accompaniments for soloists and choirs.
Many symphonic arrangements have been published by Baton Music. Since 2025, he has been publishing most of his arrangements through his own music publishing company, Somers Wind Music.
Projects
From 2010 to 2020, he was the artistic director of the Grachtenfestival aan de Maas and the Summer Wind Academy, where many professional top musicians had a platform in the white town of Thorn. Among others, celebrated violinists such as Simone Lamsma, Rosanne Philippens, Frederieke Saeijs, as well as award-winning pianists like Yinghdi, Jean Dube, Nino Gvetadze, and the Jussen brothers. The chamber orchestra from St. Petersburg, Matangi Quartet, Calefax, and Berlage Saxophone Quartet also found their way to the festival.
Somers Wind Music
Years of experience as an arranger for wind orchestras and ensembles led to the establishment of the music publishing company Somers Wind Music in 2025. Erik Somers has created more than 200 arrangements, some of which were previously published by Baton Music, Music Shop Europe, and foreign publishers. Many unpublished arrangements he has created are now offered in this webshop along with new arrangements to be made. You can also inquire about creating a specific arrangement you would like to use. Contact details can be found on this site.
Current activities
In addition to conducting and arranging, he is active as a music teacher for brass instruments (horn and trumpet) at various associations. He also serves as a jury member for regional and provincial solo competitions.
At the Stichting Verrassende Ontmoetingen, he is part of the artistic committee, a foundation that makes concerts for wind orchestras possible on professional stages.
Since 2018, he has also been active as an independent expert in the Repertoire Information Centre (RIC), where repertoires are compiled for concert competitions and mandatory works are assessed and selected for various festivals and concert competitions.