Awards:
- Gold records for: “Harry Sacksioni: Gitaar” (1974), “Vensters” (1976) and “Om de Hoek” (1978)
- Edison for the CD “Who’s Pulling the Strings” (1994)
- Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau (2010)
- Twelve times in a row Voted “Acoustic Guitarist of the Benelux” by the readers of music magazine “De Gitarist”
Biography:
Harry Sacksioni was born on October 23, 1950 in Amsterdam. He got his first guitar at the age of eleven and with that the guitarist in him was born. Only two years of guitar lessons laid the foundation for a long career as guitarist and composer. As a boy he was good at playing football and was accepted to the Ajax pupils at age eleven. After playing with the B-team a number of times, he decides to drop the professional football career but for go for the guitar instead.
As a teenager, Harry plays in various bands. Mainwhile, his guitar playing develops through self-study and is therefore characterized by his very own style technique. Since he does not use his right hand according to ’the norm’, he is not admitted to the Amsterdam conservatory. Harry has been active as a studio guitarist since the age of seventeen. During that period he composes a number of songs for other artists. The songs went so well that Harry was also asked to write for the 1970 National Song Contest. In 1970, he performs for the first time every evening in front of a live audience in the politically engaged cabaret group ‘Tingel Tangel’.
In 1971 he is asked by Herman van Veen to play on one of his records. He also composes music for a number of songs. This collaboration is so successful that Harry is asked to accompany Herman on tour. During the tour, Harry plays a solo piece which he composed at the age of sixteen and which will later be given the title ‘Meta Sequoia’. Harry’s instrumental compositions get their own place in Herman’s programs. The collaboration with Herman van Veen will ultimately last ten years. During this period, the public is introduced to Harry’s versatility as a guitarist and composer he gains an ever-growing fan base.
In 1974 his first solo album was released called HARRY SACKSIONI: GITAAR. The record rapidly exceeds all sales figures of instrumental records released until then in both The Netherlands and Belgium. This leads to his first Dutch TV solo appearance in 1975. In 1976 his second LP ‘Vensters’ is released. This record will also receive gold status in no time. His performance of the 21-minute symphonic title track together with the National Orchestra of Belgium is broadcasted on Dutch television. In 1978 his third album ‘OM DE HOEK’ is released. In 1979, the Austrian television broadcasts a live solo performance.
In 1979 he founds his own production company ‘KATOWEE HOLLAND’. In 1980 Harry’s fourth album ‘Het dubbelleven van Holle Vijnman’ was released, plus the album ‘LIVE IN AMSTERDAM’ with the registration of his performance in Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam with a large symphony orchestra. This performance is later broadcasted in 52 countries around the world. In 1981 he releases his 5th LP, with the telling title ‘STRIKT PERSONLIJK’ (‘Strictly personal’) followed by a tour through The Netherlands and Belgium.
1982 – Composes scores for various (animated) film projects and documentaries. The animations were also made part of the live shows..Tour with band through The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
1986 – Featured as a guest performer with Angelo Branduardi during two Prom concerts with the Flanders Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Sportpaleis, Antwerp (2 x 16.000 spectators). These shows were also recorded for television.
1987 – Writes script, screenplay, text and music for the 4.5 minute long, live/animated film ’POLITICS’ in which Harry also acts, and wins first prize for the most original script in Belgium, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and the Flemish Community. Broadcast in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. This film was also shown during his 87/88 solo tour. More solo and band tours through The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, featuring new compositions every year. Tours open air theaters in the summer.
1992 – Live TV registration of HARRY SACKSIONI & BAND in Antwerp.
1993 – Conceives and initiates the programme BOEIJEN, SACKSIONI & v.h. GROENEWOUD that tours The Netherlands and Belgium for one and a half months, and for which music, lyrics and song arrangements were written jointly, as well as separately. Band tour through The Nederlands and Belgium, entitled WHO’S PULLING THE STRINGS in connection with the album of that name released on October 1.
1994 – Starts the quarterly magazine PULLING THE STRINGS, filled with guitar workshops and other specific guitar related topics, as well as background information on his various musical projects. He also writes a regular column for the magazine, exploring his vision on the world of music. Composes theme music for the daily RTL TV quiz programme DENKTANK (broadcast by Veronica later).Wins Edison Award in category Instrumental for his album WHO’S PULLING THE STRINGS. The poster for the show was also voted Best Theatre poster of that year. Guest lecturer at the HERMAN TEIRLINCK music and theatre institute, Antwerp. Continues solo tour through The Netherlands (September – December)
1995 – Continues band tour WHO’S PULLING THE STRINGS through The Netherlands. (January – May).
1996 – Composes and plays music for a large advertising campaign for Pick Wick tea. Containing no spoken text by the actors, this campaign consists of three TV commercials in which the guitar and the images used tell the story.
1997 – Commissioned by the ballet institute INTRODANS, he composes the score for the childrens show PISTE, premiering in February 1998. The score (for orchestra) is released on CD. This marks Sacksioni’s first ‘guitarless’ album.
1998 – From November 1998 to Jun 1999 prolongation of his solo tour 30 JAAR HARRY SACKSIONI through The Netherlands and Belgium. Tour starts in January, and sometimes an unexpected guest shares the stage with Harry. In May 1999 starts work on his exclusive guitar method DE SACKSIONI METHODE, which will take him eight years to finish. This method illustrates the many different techniques he utilizes to make his guitar sound – as the press frequently noted – like a small orchestra. Included in the method is a DVD offering detailed demonstrations of his most advanced techniques. September 1999 to May 2000 solo tour, entitled OORSPRONG in which he also pays homage to various musicians that inspired him, including Stevie Wonder, The Beatles and Dave Brubeck.
2000 – February: his CD label CUTAWAY is established.
2001 – From September to May 2001, solo tour entitled HELDEN through The Netherlands and Belgium, during which Harry performs very personal arrangements of songs by his musical ‘heroes’ (including Stevie Wonder, Cindy Lauper, John Lennon, John Renbourn). In the programme the ‘hero’ concept is given a broader meaning by including a composition dedicated to VICTOR JARA from Chile, who was murdered by the dictatorship in his country, and also by the inclusion of music inspired by the anti-heroes of the Dutch/Belgian cartoon world, JANSEN & JANSENS. From September 2001 continues solo tour, entitled HELDEN (2) featuring arrangements of songs by LENNON/McCARTNEY, QUEEN, PAUL SIMON as well as own compositions on sports heroes EDGAR DAVIDS and CASSIUS CLAY. The tour was preceded by the release of the live album HELDEN, a first for Harry’s own CUTAWAY label.
2002 – In February starts cooperating with filmmaker and journalist Gideon van Aartsen, and writes music for almost all radio and TV commercials for KWF (Cancer Support Group), MLDS (Intestinal Health Foundation) en DEFACTO (Anti-smoking) from that moment. Performs in OMAN, scheduling an extra performance for children of the international school.
2003 – Plays programme ‘5 GREAT GUITARS’ with four other guitar players, Jan Kuiper, Erik Vaarzon Morel, Digmon Roovers and Zou Diarra, in all large venues in The Netherlands. The concept entails having five guitar players from different cultures play together. Most compositions in the programme are played by all five guitarists, alternating with solo pieces, duets and trios. The majority of the repertoire was written by Harry Sacksioni (fingerstyle), Erik Vaarzon Morel (flamenco pieces) and Jan Kuiper (world music and jazz). A live CD is released on the CUTAWAY WARRIORS label in October, produced by Harry. Writes and produces the theme song for the BNN documentary series THE WARZONE, sung by Golden Earring vocalist Barry Hay.
2004 – Harry becomes ambassador for the Pallieter, a foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of terminally ill children.
2005 – At the request of Herman van Veen Harry performs, after a hiatus of 23 years, as a ’special guest’ during Van Veen’s anniversary concert in Utrecht. He subsequently joins Van Veen on stage for two nights during the Nekka Nacht 2005 at the Sports Palace, Antwerp and also during two shows in Germany, in Cologne and Essen.
2006 – From September to December he plays another FIVE GREAT GUITARS programme, entitled GROOVEMASTERS, featuring a different formation as bluesguitarist ERWIN JAVA joins the group. For five shows in December a very special guest is added, as the American jazz guitar legend LARRY CARLTON joins the group.
2007 – Kick-off of his programme The CITY TALENT TOUR for which he invites young and talented guitarists to join him on stage. In every city he performs in, he invites the most talented young player from that area to play with him on stage for twenty minutes.
2008 – Release of his guitar method, entitled: DE SACKSIONI METHODE. Written to instruct students in the art of simultaneously playing multiple parts, the book has almost 400 pages and consists of two volumes. The method comes with a DVD demonstrating all aspects of the various techniques Harry employs.
2009 – He celebrates his 40th anniversary as a performer with an extensive solo tour also entitled DE SACKSIONI METHODE, supported by footage taken from his television and (animated) film past. In addition a triptych is released, consisting of the album TIJDGEEST (new recordings of the best pieces from his back catalogue), a book filled with anecdotal stories DAT KUNNEN ZE ALLEMÁÁL WEL ZEGGEN, and the DVD HEART LABOUR. Release of the album ADRENALINE with a.o. KILLER QUEEN, and four songs featuring guest musicians. Appointed Royal Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau to acknowledge his contributions to the music world. Solo tour through The Netherlands, entitled ADRENALINE.
2010 – Tribute concerts in De Singel, Antwerp and the Royal Carré Theatre in Amsterdam.
2011 – In September 2011 kick-off of his solo program WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS, a tribute to George Harrison, who died ten years ago.
2012 – Release double cd WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS.
2014 – Success reprise WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS.
2015 – Anniversary tour ‘VIJFENZESTIG’ with band and solo. Release Live double cd ‘VIJFENZESTIG’.
2016 – 2018 – Solotour ‘ONCE UPON A TIME…’ for witch he arranged his favorite filmmusic. Release cd ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’.
2018 – Tour with ‘ the 5 Great Guitars’ called THE REUNION.
In September 2019, Harry will makes of his scores available to guitarists in one fell swoop via his webshop! Entirely in the style of The Sacksioni Method, all these scores consist of both musical notation and tablature. What is special is that this series also includes the complete guitar score (14 pages!) of his 21-minute symphonic composition Vensters. These scores are only available through the Harry Sacksioni webshop.
The year 2020 is of course the year that is mainly dominated by the corona virus. To ease the suffering somewhat, Harry records a number of YouTube videos under the name ‘The Quarantine sessions’. Finally, after months of being stuck at home due to the haunting virus, it’s allowed again in the summer of 2020: performing in public! The title of Harry’s solo performance UNLOCKED! already indicates: this special solo program by guitar virtuoso Harry Sacksioni feels like a liberation for him! Due to the government’s limited room capacity, Harry will give two performances of 1 hour on 1 evening, for 2 times 100 people. He chooses from his best and most beautiful songs. Own songs, Beatles, U2, Queen, he gets everything out of the (sound) cabinet. Sacksioni’s fire and passion, now that he is reunited with his audience, will undoubtedly be even greater than they already were!
And the corona times can also result in special and remarkable collaborations… In a time when we are supposed to keep a distance from each other, guitarist Harry Sacksioni and singer Edward Reekers have decided to get closer to each other! In a unique performance they bring the best of themselves together. These two super musicians are now joining forces for the first time in an exceptional performance in which world hits and their own work alternate in both ensemble playing and solo performances.
From October to the end of December 2019, Harry Sacksioni played a tour called THE STONES vs THE BEATLES BATTLE together with singers Syb van der Ploeg, Manny Angeletti and Edward Reekers, among others. As a fan of both bands, Harry played both acoustic and electric guitar in this program. The CD is a full live report of the performance. It is absolutely unique that music from both bands is on one CD! 23 of their greatest songs fill this CD. From exciting songs like Brown Sugar, Paint it Black, Lady Madonna and She Loves You to beautiful melodic songs like Angie, As tears go by, The Long and Winding Road and Fool in the Hill. In any case, it is unique that music from both bands is on one CD!
Instead of performing, guitar virtuoso Harry Sacksioni celebrates his 50th anniversary of performing with the publication of his book of anecdotes! In this book, titled ‘Dat kunnen ze allemáál wel zeggen…’ (‘That’s what they all say…’) he uses anecdotes and reflections in a very open and personal way to provide an intriguing view of his life as a top guitarist, in which he does not shy away from his private life. In more than 170 pages we read about encounters with well-known figures such as Leonard Bernstein and Herman Brood, up to the rescue of an elderly person in Rotterdam; suddenly being called from space by astronaut André Kuipers, and we are spectators at an embarrassing ‘me-too’ accident by a bisexual theater director. We also meet the twisted mind of an anonymous village painter, an encounter that almost cost Harry his life, and he answers the question why he refused the leading role in a major Dutch film; it provides material for so many special and unique stories. Click here to order the book (note: the book is written in Dutch).