Van Amsterdam Duo

About the duo
Founded in 2004, the Van Amsterdam Duo, consisting of brother and sister Vincent (accordion) and Jeanine (violin), presents known and unknown music in a unique way. The Duo performs regularly both in the Netherlands and abroad. Most recently they gave several concerts at the Silk Road Arts Festival in Xi’an (CN).
The Duo’s repertoire is extremely varied, and includes Bach, Piazzolla, Kusjakov and Rachmaninov. The range of their musical tastes is exemplified on their first CD A Flight Beyond The Time. Chanson Russe is their second CD.
One of the goals of the Van Amsterdam Duo is to promote their unusual combinations of instruments. This has resulted in several new compositions written especially for their ensemble, including ‘Four Landscapes’ by Bernard van Beurden (2015), ‘Message to Rodion’ by Frank van Gompel (2014) and ‘Lente/Festina’ by Bram Kortekaas (2013).
The Duo is a laureate of several competitions. They won 1st prize at the National Accordeon Competition (NL) in 2005 and 2009, as well as 1st prize at the prestigious Akkordeonwettbewerb Klingenthal (DE) in 2012. In 2010 they won 3rd prize at the Coupe Mondial (HR).
About Vincent van Amsterdam
Vincent van Amsterdam (1989) completed both his Bachelor’s and his Master’s degree cum laude at the Fontys Academy for Fine Arts Tilburg (NL), while also studying in Würzburg (DE) and Moscow (RU). Since then, he has performed in the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Serbia, and many other countries.
Vincent has succesfully participated in several competitions, such as the International Young Musicians Competition in Milan (2009), the Coupe Mondiale in Croatia (4th price, 2010) and the Dutch Conservatoire Competition (2014, professional jury price). In the season 2015/2016 Vincent is a finalist of the Dutch Classical Talent Competition.
Vincent is a very versatile musician, performing in a wide variety of styles and instrumental combinations. In addition to the Van Amsterdam Duo, his performances include a program combining Satie, Debussy and Brel with Sebastiaan Kemner (tbn.) en Zinzi Frohwein (sop.), as well as various ad hoc ensembles. Vincent also performs regularly in solo programmes.
In 2014, Vincent recorded his first solo album ‘Classical Accordion’. The CD showcases the full scope of his musical capabilities and interests, featuring works by, among others, Sweelinck, Bach, Gubaidulina en Tiensuu.
About Jeanine van Amsterdam
In 2014, Jeanine van Amsterdam (1992) finished her bachelor’s degree in violin with Peter Brunt at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. At the same institute she is currently, finishing her Master’s, in which she studies with Vera Beths and takes orchestral lessons with David Peralta. In March of 2016 Jeanine won the audition for tutti 2nd violin with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, where she will start playing in the 2016/2017 season.
Jeanine is a very active chamber musician. Aside from playing in the Van Amsterdam Duo, she played for several years in the Engadin string quartet, and participated in several projects with the Wings Ensemble in 2014. Orchestral experience she received from playing in the Dutch National Youth Orchestra, where she was concertmaster in 2012 and 2013, from playing in string orchestra Ciconia Consort, and from succesfully completing the Orchestral Academy of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
www.vanamsterdamduo.nl