Maaike van Vossen

My name is Maaike van Vossen (born in 2000), and I started playing the violin when I was seven. I took my first violin lessons at the Zeeuwse Music School in Hulst with Annemie Swinnen and Marlies Biesemans. Starting in 2015, I took violin lessons from Kristien Roels at the Municipal Academy for Music, Word, and Dance in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium). There, I also took chamber music lessons with Kris Matthynssens, and in 2018 I graduated with the highest honors. That same year, I also earned my VWO diploma at the Reynaert College in Hulst. In September 2018, I began my conservatory studies at the Fontys University of the Arts in Tilburg. There, I studied with Lei Wang and Mathieu van Bellen. I am currently in my final year of the Bachelor’s program and am studying with Jolente De Maeyer.

In recent years, I have participated in various competitions, including the Dutch Violin Competition (Davina van Wely division) and the Princess Christina Competition. During the PCC in 2017, I received an honorable mention. I have taken masterclasses with, among others, Guido De Neve, Elisa Kawaguti, Jolente De Maeyer, and Juan-Miguel Hernandez during the Lab Summer Class in Porto.

I’ve been playing in orchestras since I was 11. I started with the Zeeland Youth Orchestra and, from age 15, played in the first violins of the Euregio Youth Orchestra (EJO). I had the privilege of serving as concertmaster for this wonderful orchestra for three years—a truly enjoyable and educational experience. With the EJO, we won the National Competition for Youth Symphony Orchestras in 2018. I’ve also had the opportunity to go on wonderful concert tours to Leipzig, Prague, and Vienna with these orchestras.

Currently, I take great pleasure in playing with the orchestra of the Bach Cantatas Foundation in Tilburg. In addition, I’ve had the privilege of performing in wonderful concerts with the La Passione orchestra from Lier, including the opening of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp and a magnificent film music project that we performed at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp and the Concertgebouw in Bruges. In addition to performing music myself, my passion also lies in passing on my love for music and the violin to students. I teach violin lessons through the Bosch Leerorkest, a program offered by Huis73 in which children in grades 5, 6, 7, and/or 8 (in a group setting) are actively introduced to musical instruments, combined with singing.

Finding a good instrument isn’t always easy. I am therefore very grateful and happy to have the opportunity, thanks to the Musical Instrument Fund, to play this beautiful violin bow, crafted by Karel van der Meer. I enjoy playing with this beautiful bow every day and hope to share its wonderful sound with many listeners.