Biography
Sophie Van Dijk is a composer who writes music to process and offer reflection on the world around her. Sophie composes music as a storytelling device that conveys images and ideas in deeply emotive ways, to invite audiences into a shared emotional experience that cannot be captured in words. She is inspired by community, by nature, by friendship, by faith.
Sophie is energised by collaboration and dialogue with her fellow musicians, and with the broader arts community. This is a fulfilling and essential part of her continued growth as an artist. She has participated in a number of mentoring programs including Omega Ensemble’s CoLAB, Australian Youth Orchestra’s Composers Stream, Coro Innominata Women Composers’ Development Program, and Gondwana National Choral School Composers Stream. She has also partnered with visual artists, most notably on a short film, Merge. Sophie holds a Bachelor of Music (Composition) with first class honours from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
In recent years, Sophie has gravitated towards writing for diverse chamber ensembles – captured by the intimacy of a small ensemble, and the close relationships between composer and performers that naturally form. Sophie has worked with Omega Ensemble, Ensemble MUSE, Ensemble Terra, Konzertprojekt composer collective, and Quart-Ed.
She also enjoys working with the timbral possibilities of larger forces in choirs and orchestras, developed through her work with Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra Composer Workshop and her double choir & string orchestra commission with Radford College.
Sophie is deeply passionate about the accessibility of living, breathing music for everyone – especially young musicians and students. Sophie has had the privilege of working with primary and high school students at several schools, including Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College and Trinity Grammar, where she was 2019 composer-in-residence. She has been energised by demonstrating the diversity of contemporary composers and compositional possibilities.
In addition, Sophie has extensive experience in copying, development, administration, project management and curation. She is currently working with Jigsaw Music and is a member of the Music Arrangers Guild of Australia.
I have been creating compositions for as long as I can remember - taking any opportunity to write my own tunes on piano or violin rather than practise for my childhood music lessons (much to my mother’s chagrin!). My interest and craft have been honed over a number of years, particularly during my time studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
My current compositional practice draws inspiration from nature, people, community, friendships & faith. I am passionate about writing music that holds experimental sounds in tension with tranquil musical moments. My compositions often contain minimalist influences and repeated patterns that shift, change and evolve. My music was recently described as ‘thready’ - having elements that are woven together and can be traced from the start to finish of the piece.