Fré Focke

Fré Focke was a Dutch pianist and composer, born in Amsterdam. He studied piano and composition at the Sweelinck Conservatory. After his examination in 1933, Focke continued his composition studies with notable teachers Willem Pijper and later Anton Webern in Vienna. Post-World War II, he worked as a concert pianist and private teacher in Sweden, and then moved to Santiago de Chile where he was influential in founding 'TONUS', a center for contemporary music. Focke was a lecturer at the State University of Music in Hamburg from 1957 to 1965, often performing modern music and his own compositions. By the end of the 1970s, he settled in Bergen, North Holland, focusing on his composing career.