Rozalie Hirs
Rozalie Hirs studied piano and voice from age 12 and 17 respectively. She completed a MSc (Master of Science) degree in chemical engineering at the Organic Chemistry Group of David Reinhoudt at Twente University in 1990; this included graduate work in reaction mechanisms and catalysis with Luigi Mandolini at the Universitá La Sapienza in Rome in 1990. During her studies at the Twente University, she sang several roles in opera productions of the Enschedesche Music School (Anima in Cavalieri's 'Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo' and Soprano in Purcell's 'King Arthur'), and co-wrote music and lyrics for the New Wave band BOOLEAN in which she was the singer. In 1991 she began studying composition with Diderik Wagenaar at the Royal Conservatoire at the Hague, and classical voice with Eugenie Ditewig at the Utrechts Conservatorium and with Gerda van Zelm at the Royal Conservatoire. Her first poems were published in the literary magazine De Revisor in 1992 upon invitation by Jan Kuijper, poetry editor of the Dutch publisher Querido. In 1995 she won the first prize for poetry at the Pythic Plays in Amsterdam.