As a child, Michel van der Aa (1970) used to build labyrinths out of cardboard, complete with intriguing soundscapes. Today, he lets audiences enter alternative worlds in a different way: through his inventive musical, cinematic and digital creations.
As a composer, director, and multimedia artist, he brings together various disciplines and leads the classical opera genre into new dimensions. Van der Aa has received international acclaim; his work has been performed in over 45 countries and he has won many awards, including the Grawemeyer Award (2013), Johannes Vermeer Prize (2015) and the International Opera Award (2022) for his production Upload.
His VR opera From Dust was awarded Best Immersive Work at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2025.
