Joep Beving

Dutch pianist/composer Joep Beving's music is marked by slow, kaleidoscopic patterns and intimate, meditative melodies. Born in 1976 in Doetinchem, Beving abandoned plans to become a concert pianist after suffering a repetitive strain injury. He went on to compose for advertising campaigns, releasing his first stand-alone album in 2015. Millions of listeners were drawn to the contemplative nature of Beving's simple, haunting sound, and he was subsequently signed to Deutsche Grammophon, with whom he released the Henosis trilogy (2019) and his pandemic-inspired collection Hermetism (2022). Like other post-classical pianist/composers (artists who straddle the space between pop, electronic, and art music, including Nils Frahm and Stephan Moccio), Beving—whose first name is pronounced “Yoop”— uses prepared piano techniques to create a particular timber. Despite his nearly seven-foot stature, Beving favors a Schimmel upright (inherited from his grandmother) over a grand piano, adding felt behind the hammers to soften the tone.