For more information about my love for the violin and my life as a violinist, please visit my website at http://www.frederiekesaeijs.com. Under the “Portrait” section, you’ll find, among other things, the “Violin” page, which is dedicated to the special instrument from the Musical Instrument Fund that I have the privilege of playing.
“Violinist Frederieke Saeijs’s playing has the power to move you and leaves you longing for more”—International Record Review.
The Hague-based violinist Frederieke Saeijs received her first violin lessons from Suzuki teacher Stieneke Voorhoeve-Poot. She went on to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington (USA). Great masters such as Mauricio Fuks, Jaring Walta, and Herman Krebbers taught her the finer points of the craft.
During her studies in The Hague, Saeijs won prizes at competitions including the Princess Christina Competition, the Oskar Back National Violin Competition, the Concertgebouw’s Vriendenkrans Competition, the Elisabeth Everts Prize, the Georges Enescu International Violin Competition, and the Grachtenfestival Conservatory Competition.
Winning the prestigious Premier Grand Prix at the Long-Thibaud Violin Competition in Paris in 2005 opened the doors to the international concert stage for her.
Frederieke has collaborated with inspiring conductors such as Jonathan Darlington, Antony Hermus, Neeme Järvi, Oliver Knussen, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Friedemann Layer, Aleksandar Markovic, Christoph Poppen, Vassily Sinaiski, Vladimir Spivakov, and Jaap van Zweden. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras in cities including her hometown of The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Paris, Dortmund, Duisburg, Brno, Cannes, Tokyo, and St. Petersburg.
Frederieke enjoys performing chamber music with her musical friends. For example, she forms the Gvetadze–Saeijs–Bogdanovic Trio with Georgian pianist Nino Gvetadze and Serbian cellist Maja Bogdanovic, with whom she performs regularly. She has been a guest at chamber music festivals in places such as Alaska, Canada, Delft, Giverny, Groningen, Ribadeo, and Sunnmøre.
She recorded Eugène Ysaÿe’s six solo sonatas for the leading label Linn Records. Her CDs featuring the sonatas for violin and piano by Ravel, Respighi, and Granados (together with pianist Maurice Lammerts van Bueren) and Weber (with Nino Gvetadze) were released on the Naxos label.
Another of Frederieke’s great passions is mentoring young talent. She is currently a principal faculty member at Codarts, the Rotterdam Conservatory. Previously, she taught young talents at the Hague Conservatory, as well as at the Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio and the Centro Superior de Música Katarina Gurska in Madrid. In addition, she regularly gives masterclasses and serves on the juries of music competitions. “For me, passing on that fire is very important—not only the passion for the profession, but also the craft itself, in all its subtleties.” – Frederieke Saeijs
Frederieke plays the exceptional Ex-Reine-Elisabeth violin by Pietro Guarneri (Venice, 1725) with a bow by Eugène Sartory (Paris, early 20th century), both on loan to her from the Musical Instrument Fund.
