Lloyd Van’t Hoff’s best life
Lloyd Van’t Hoff is the Head of Woodwind at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, a member of Ensemble Lumen and is regarded as one of the brightest young classical musicians in Australia. Here, the young performer tells us about graduating from Yale, getting engaged in Paris, his favourite meal of all time, and much more.
Describe the best day of your life
One of the best days of my life was graduating from Yale. The spring weather and blooming campus created a perfect backdrop for a joyful ceremony. As music students, we sang Schubert’s An die Musik, a meaningful tribute to the power of music and the connection we shared. The day was bittersweet, knowing it would likely be the last time I saw many friends from around the world. At the same time, I had just learned I’d been appointed Head of Woodwind at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Australia, which gave me a sense of hope and excitement for what lay ahead.
Describe your best purchase
Perhaps my newest clarinet. I wasn’t looking for a new instrument when I found it. I came across it at a trade event — a stunning instrument made from mopane, a deep red wood that glowed under the lights. I picked it up out of curiosity, and within a few notes, I was completely smitten. It’s rare to find an instrument that feels like it already understands you, that responds to your playing in every single way. I feel lucky to have found this one. It’s a partner I can grow with, trust, and be challenged by. I didn’t expect to find it that day, but I’m very glad I did.
What is the best photograph you have?
There are so many great photos, but this one is particularly dear to me as it tells the story of the day I got engaged to my fiancé, Zoe. We had been apart for a few weeks—she was studying abroad, and I was working—and had planned a romantic rendezvous in Paris. One of Zoe’s most endearing (and occasionally frustrating) qualities is her uncanny ability to read my mind. She had made it clear that she wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise, which, given her intuition, was no small challenge. She was already in Paris, and I had travelled for 24 hours straight to meet her—exhausted, jet-lagged, and running on pure adrenaline. The last thing she expected was for me to ask her to marry me. Her reaction was everything I’d hoped for and more. Pure joy and excitement, a look I’d never seen on her face before and a moment I’ll cherish forever.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
If you have the choice between playing it safe and taking a risk, take the risk. It’s something that’s stuck with me, especially in my musical life. It’s easy, and sometimes very tempting, to make choices based on what feels secure or comfortable. I know I’ve done that. But I’ve also realised that the moments I’ve grown most, or felt most connected to what I do, have come from stepping into something uncertain. Taking risks doesn’t mean being reckless. It just means being open to challenge, to change, to not knowing exactly how things will turn out. That’s where discovery happens. It’s what keeps the work interesting and what keeps me interested in the work.
Describe the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
Food is such a big part of how I experience the world. That comes from my mum, someone who expresses love and care through food, which is such a familiar theme in Filipino culture. When we talk over FaceTime, she rarely asks how I’m going. Instead, she asks what I’ve eaten. If I’m eating well, she figures, the rest of my life must be going okay. There have been many culinary highlights, some are fancy but most are unassuming. From the New Haven-style pizza I devoured as a grad student at Yale (IYKYK), to the Portuguese tarts from the Adelaide Central Market (decadent morsels of perfection, if you ask me!). But if I had to choose one meal I crave the most, it would be my mum’s home cooked adobo—a Filipino dish of chicken or pork simmered in a rich soy sauce and vinegar broth, always served over rice. It’s comforting, grounding, and the perfect antidote to the often manic pace of a musician’s life.
What are the best qualities of your favourite person?
My fiancé Zoe has this remarkable ability to see things I miss. It’s not just that she notices different details, it’s that she approaches the world with a kind of quiet clarity I don’t always have. She’s wise in ways I’m not, and often don’t realise I need until she’s pointed something out. Where I might get caught up in the moment, she’s thinking two steps ahead. Where I see things one way, she helps me find a different frame. More than anything, she helps me be a better version of myself. Not by changing who I am, but by helping me access parts of myself I didn’t always know were there. That’s her gift.
Best five songs on your playlist?
This might be the hardest question for a musician to answer. Our playlists are constantly shifting, full of contradictions, and shaped by what we’re working on, what we’re escaping from, or what we’re curious about. Ask me next week and I’d probably give you five completely different songs. Here’s what I’m listening to at the moment:
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The Beatles: Blackbird
Thomas Adés: Alchymia
Philip Glass: Mishima – ‘Closing’ (Check out Andromeda Sax Quartet playing it!)
Vulfpeck: Baby I don’t Know
Elton John: Bennie and the Jets
The Elder Conservatorium of Music’s open day, A Day at The Con, is on Saturday August 30.