Since 2023, I have had the privilege of playing a beautiful Vuillaume violin, which is a new addition to the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund. The instrument is in exceptional condition and a joy to behold for any violin enthusiast. It looks as if it has just come out of Vuillaume’s workshop.
The violin has a rich tone and projects very well, with a warm sound on the G string and a clear, brilliant sound on the E string. Playing a violin concerto is a delight with this instrument; you can hear the finest details and never have to force the sound.
I am immensely grateful to the Musical Instrument Fund for entrusting me with the opportunity to play this instrument, and to the owner for choosing to have the violin actively played. I look forward to further exploring the instrument’s tonal colors and sharing the violin’s sound with the public!
Isobel Warmelink is a young Dutch violinist, born in Rotterdam. In January 2022, she won first prize at the Oskar Back Dutch Violin Competition. In the finals, she performed as a soloist with the Residentie Orkest in a sparkling Rondo by Mozart and a moving rendition of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto. The jury praised her for her passionate playing and fantastic interaction with the orchestra. She was also awarded the Kersjes Violin Scholarship in 2022.
Isobel has previously performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Sinfonia Rotterdam, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, the National Youth Orchestra, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. She also performs regularly in solo recitals and chamber music settings. In 2022, Isobel will be a guest performer at the Schiermonnikoog Festival, Wonderfeel, and the Utrecht International Chamber Music Festival, among others.
Isobel graduated in 2024 from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg under Prof. Lukas Hagen, the first violinist of the renowned Hagen Quartet. Prior to that, she studied successively with Koosje van Haeringen and Vera Beths in The Hague. During the 2018–2019 season, Isobel was an academist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
