Margriet Ehlen

Margriet Ehlen (Heerlen, 28 September 1943) is a Dutch poet and a composer, conductor and educator of classical music.

She composed for chamber ensembles and organ, yet is particularly active in composition for voice. These works extend from solo vocalists to choir music. Many of her compositions for voice set poetry to music. To this end she has utilized texts by Gerrit Achterberg, Anna Bijns, Emily Dickinson, Wiel Kusters and Elly de Waard, among others. She is also an accomplished and decorated poet herself.

Ehlen studied composition with Gerard Kockelmans, Willem de Vries Robbé and Robert Heppener, piano with Bart Berman and Kees Steinroth and choir conducting with Jan Eelkema. She graduated with a degree in music education from the Conservatoire of Maastricht, and taught at teacher colleges in Rotterdam, Maastricht and Sittard. She has collected and analyzed the works of her fomer teacher, the Dutch composer Gerard Kockelmans (1925-1965).

Many of her works were published by Donemus, a non-for-profit Dutch publishing house that promotes contemporary classical composers. Some others were published by the Rieks Sodenkamp publishing house in Maastricht.

Selected works
1979 Cyclus I, five songs for voice and piano on poems Martin Boot
1980 Three songs for voice and piano on texts by Martin Boot
1984 Palimpseste, for songs on poems by Wiel Kusters for mezzo-soprano and piano
1988 Wijfken, staat oppe for soprano and flute/alt-flute on a text by Anna Bijnstriptiek
1990 Euridyce, a cycle of seven songs for mezzo-soprano and flute quartet on texts by Gerrit Achterberg
1990 Three small songs for flute and medium voice on poems by Hadewych Laugs
1994 Dröm
1995 Too few the mornings be, for soprano, saxophone, horn and piano
2003 For the Distant, mini opera for soprano, 2 percussion orchestras, 2 dancers, video, and 2 choirs
2006 Ignis Caritas for carillon