Iris Kengen
violin bow
Hi! My name is Iris Kengen (born in 2000 in Boxmeer), and I’m lucky enough to get to play this beautiful Baroque violin!
When I was six, I started taking violin lessons with Rufus Maas in Boxmeer. At age twelve, I was accepted into the School for Young Talent at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where I studied with Koosje van Haeringen. I’ve loved listening to “Early Music” recordings my whole life, and I developed an ever-growing desire to learn to play the Baroque violin someday.
This wish came true in 2018 when I had the opportunity to participate in a project organized by the Netherlands Bach Society. I took lessons from Shunske Sato, was allowed to play this amazing violin, and was completely hooked! After the project, I was allowed to continue playing this violin. This means that, while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in classical violin with Peter Brunt (starting in 2019), I can continue to develop my skills on the Baroque violin—for which I am incredibly grateful to the Musical Instrument Fund. I have since auditioned for the bachelor’s program in Baroque violin at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where I will begin studying with Shunske Sato in 2021.
