Maarten Altena


Maarten van Regteren Altena is a Dutch composer and contrabassist.
Altena attended the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and graduated in 1968. Between 1980 and 1985, he studied composition with Robert Heppener.

Career

Son of the art historian Iohan Quirijn van Regteren Altena, Altena first recorded with Theo Loevendie, after which he had the opportunity to be part of Marion Brown's trio that recorded Porto Novo along with Han Bennink. After graduation, Altena played in a number of ensembles, such as various formations around Willem Breuker and Theo Loevendie. He also played in the Dutch Ballet Orchestra and other orchestras. In the mid-1970s he started performing solo, playing his own pieces, partly composed, partly improvised.
Altena also founded his own ensemble, the Maarten Altena Kwartet which expanded into the Maarten Altena Ensemble in 1980. From that point onwards, his career focused on composition. In 1997 he stopped being an active member of this ensemble, and he left it completely in 2005 in order to be able to spend more time composing for other ensembles.

Compositions

In 1978 Altena received the Wessel Ilcken Prize for jazz and improvised music.