MUSIC, PEOPLE & PLACES
Timeline
Since the mid-nineties, Ivo Witteveen has been working as a composer and music producer on over 200 projects. Below are some projects that shaped his journey so far.
01
The QQ years
1995–2007
1995
Four friends. A first soundtrack.
1995: Four study friends start a company – Quality Quartet Music and Sound (later: QQ Audio). Their first job is writing music for the classic game Frontier – First Encounter, part 3 of the Elite saga. Trivia: the Elite series was later honored with a stamp by Royal Mail.
1998
Escher Revisited
1998: The music for the VR-Ride “Escher Revisited in VR-Valley” is one of the projects that kickstarts Ivo’s career and leads to a range of music & sound projects in the (early!) VR and experience design realm.
Around 2000
Music for a new millennium
Around 2000, QQ Audio moves towards music & sound for advertising, creating music for campaigns for the Dutch and German market, such as the T-Mobile campaign kicking off the new millennium.
2001
Inside the Heineken Experience
In 2001, QQ Audio creates all music and sound for the brand-new Heineken Experience, with Ivo as the main composer.
Mid-2000s
Joining the Sizzer composers
In the mid-2000’s, Ivo is one of the original pool of composers working for music agency Sizzer. For Sizzer, Ivo won pitches writing music for Mercedes-Benz and Mediamarkt, amongst others
2007
Moves 24/7
As a co-writer, co-producer, recording and mixing engineer, Ivo contributes to Moves 24/7, an album by dear friend Jeroen de Rijk, released in 2007
02
The MOST years
2008–2026
2008
The beginning of MOST
2008 sees the birth of MOST: co-founded by Ivo, this Amsterdam-based company specialized in both sound (MOST Audio Post, with Stephan Bakker) and music (MOST Original Soundtracks, with Diederik Idenburg and others)
2008
A journey through the human body
Also in 2008, the interactive museum Corpus – Journey Through the Human Body opens, with music by Ivo and sound by Stephan Bakker
2011
Boards Rise & Fall
The music for an interactive advertising project, Boards Rise & Fall, is awarded with a Buma Award for Best Advertising Music (2011)
2012
Coca-Cola Cascada
A year later, the soundtrack for the interactive installation Coca-Cola Cascada is awarded with an ADCN Lamp for best music & sound (with Diederik Idenburg & Stephan Bakker)
2012
Opening Maasvlakte 2
Meanwhile, museum & visitors experience projects continue: In 2012, a large addition to the Port of Rotterdam (2e Maasvlakte) is officially opened with a ceremony broadcast live on Dutch TV for which Ivo wrote the music.
2013
L’été est là
In 2013, Ivo writes ‘L’été est là’, a seventies-inspired French chanson for Paturain, which also enjoys success as a single release by Philippe Elan. Also in 2013, some of Ivo’s music is selected for a performance by Het Gelders Orkest during Museumnacht in Eye.
Over the years
Music for brands
In the following years, Ivo works on numerous award-winning commercials for MOST, for brands like Triodos, ASN Bank, American Airlines, KNAB and Miele.
Along the way
Nestlé Le Nest
Ivo and Stephan are also responsible for all music and sound for Nestlé ‘Le Nest’, the Nestlé company HQ museum / visitors centre in Vevey, Switzerland
2017
Three places, three sound worlds
2017, also, was a fruitful year – with soundtracks for:
West Coast Stories, 4D theater, Tirpitz Museum, Denmark;
The Adidas Videowall – a timelapse video on a full-size video wall, Adidas HQ, Germany;
and (still open for public) the New York Room video installation for the Mondriaanhuis, Amersfoort (2017).
2018
Nothing Can Stop The Past
2018 sees the release of Nothing Can Stop The Past, the first full album by Sterlatone, the songwriting partnership formed by Dylan Alling and Ivo.
2020
Corpus, reimagined
The Corpus museum gets a twin sister in 2020 in Ma’anshan, China. This allows Ivo to completely rewrite and re-record the soundtrack, also available on Spotify
2020–2026
A Simpel Melody
Between 2020 and 2026, Ivo works on a long-running series of commercials for telecom provider Simpel.
2021
The sound of Leefkracht
2021: brand music for insurance company Menzis, used in their commercials and other communication channels until 2025.
2022
Film music, live on stage
Sidestep: in 2022, Ivo presents a live ‘theatercollege’ (lecture with live music) about film music, with Dutch String Collective performing selected works from the film music history live on stage.
2022
The Phantom Carriage
A one-of-a-kind project in 2022 is the collaborative soundtrack for The Phantom Carriage, where Ivo is part of a team of composers that writes a soundtrack for this classic silent movie, performed live to the screen by members of the Metropole Orchestra.
2023
Nowhere To Point
In 2023, Nowhere To Point, the second Sterlatone album is released
2024
Current Moves
2024 sees the release of Current Moves: a 2nd album by Jeroen de Rijk which Ivo co-produces, records and mixes.
2024
A new partnership at MOST
Also in 2024, Ivo partners with Matthijs Koster to continue MOST Audio Post after the amicable split with Stephan Bakker the year before.
2026
Demystified, revisited
2026 – re-release of Demystified, a piece Ivo co-wrote in 2007, in a new string arrangement and mix by Ivo, with the Dutch String Collective
03
Independent
2026 onwards
September 2026
A new chapter
In September 2026, MOST joins forces with SMP Amsterdam, with Matthijs continuing MOST Audio Post supported by the SMP team. Ivo steps back, ending his formal engagement with MOST. He now works independently, collaborating with MOST x SMP when the opportunity arises.
2027
Looking Ahead
2027 will see the premiere and soundtrack release of Friends, a short film by Josh Boon for which Ivo wrote the music. Also, new Sterlatone repertoire is in preparation.
The story continues.