About
My work as a bassoonist revolves around music as a ‘living language’. I’m passionate about helping musicians – beginners or advanced players, young or old – to improve their ability to express themselves in the rich language of music. My extensive experience as a practising musician is an important source of inspiration for me. Enjoyment of learning is crucial, I believe, which is why I encourage pupils to discover for themselves how they can develop into musicians who really speak the language of music.
In my 20 years of teaching, I have always focused on the person behind the music and the instrument. That is why I started searching for innovative styles of instrumental education in 2011. Read more on the Inspiration page.
I studied the bassoon with Adrie Bisschop, contrabassoon with Guus Dral and chamber music with John Mostard and Jos de Lange at the conservatories of Maastricht and Amsterdam. Halfway through the 1990s I gained my diplomas for teaching and practising music, with special mentions for contrabassoon and chamber music.
I have been playing in various national symphony orchestras and ensembles for some 20 years, including a few years with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in many of their concerts. I have performed in almost the whole of Europe, and in Taiwan, Japan, the US and Canada. In addition, I have given Masterclasses abroad, and I play a great deal of chamber music.
I teach at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague where I’m also helping to design a new Education curriculum. I give bassoon lessons in various departments, as well as coordinating the programme known as BASIS (a methodology being developed for the initial stages of learning a wind instrument).