Trio Van Hengel
Nicole van Bruggen, clarinet
Nicole van Bruggen-Harris studied at the Conservatorium in Sydney directly followed by a postgraduate degree in classical clarinet and authentic performance practice with Eric Hoeprich at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague from which she graduated in 1997. She is founder of Kwartet André, a chamber music ensemble specialising in 18th Century repertoire for clarinet and strings, with whom she was awarded a prize in 1999 in the Musica Antiqua Competition at the Flanders Festival in Brugge and released a CD entitled 'Haydn, his Mistress, their Son & his Successor'. Alongside these ensembles, Nicole works with a number of period instrument chamber ensembles and orchestras as a specialist in authentic clarinet, basset horn, basset clarinet and chalumeau. Recent highlights include performances as 'artist in residence' in the Festival of Strings and Bows in Poznan, Poland and as soloist with the New Dutch Academy. Over the last couple of seasons, Nicole has performed with the The Netherlands Bach Society, Concerto Copenhagen, Il Fondamento, The Northern Consort, the New Dutch Academy, Concerto d'Amsterdam, Florilegium Musicum and as soloist with Il Concerto Barocco.
Anneke Veenhoff, fortepiano
Anneke Veenhoff graduated in piano and choral conducting from the Conservatorium Groningen, the Netherlands. Following her degree, Anneke studied at the Rimsky Korsakov Conservatorium in St. Petersburg and then moved on to specialise in classical and early romantic repertoire, performed on original instruments at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague with Bart van Oort from where she graduated in 2002 with a Masters degree in Fortepiano. Anneke has performed in many concerts within Holland and abroad both as a soloist and with her ensembles. She appeared as soloist in 2002 in the Main Hall of the Concertgebouw, playing Piano Concertos by C.P.E. Bach, accompanied by the New Dutch Academy. In 2003 she played in the Holland Early Music Festival in Utrecht with Kwartet André and with the soprano, Maria Skiba, in Poland with the Winterreise by Schubert and performed a combined Polish-Dutch programme at the presentation of the Erasmus prize in Warsaw. Together with the violinist Alida Schat, Anneke performed in the Prinsengracht Festival in Amsterdam and during Mozart's 250th birthday she played a solo programme in the Frits Philips Music Centre in Eindhoven and in Diligentia in Den Haag. Anneke has made many radio broadcasts and has appeared on the double CD "Oranje en de Muziek". She is a member of Barokopera Amsterdam, with whom she has played in various productions including the Opera in Avignon and the theatres in The Netherlands. Alongside her vocation as pianist, Anneke works as conductor of Sempre Crescendo choir and orchestra in Leiden and Dissonant in Amsterdam.
Thomas Pitt, violoncello
After graduating with honours from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Thomas Pitt came to The Netherlands to study with Wouter Möller at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. He was awarded the soloists diploma in 1998. After graduating Thomas has built up a busy performing and recording career, working as solo-cellist with groups such as Concerto Copenhagen (Lars Ulrik Mortensen), Holland Baroque Society (also member of the artistic committee), The Academy of Ancient Music, the Gabrieli Consort (Paul Mc Creesh) and The English Concert. He has worked as soloist and director with the Polish group Arte dei Suonatori, and is active as a chamber musician on numerous significant international stages with The Amsterdam String Quartet, Baroque Fever, Magnetic North Orchestra and others. Since 2005 he has worked at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory as teacher of baroque cello, chamber music and performance practice and in 2007 he became the head of the Early Music department at this same conservatorium and developmental director of Concerto Copenhagen. Tom also gives summer schools and has been invited as jury memeber for the Chamber Music Prize 2009 with the Danish radio.