Widely recognized as one of the leading pan flutists of his generation, Matthijs Koene has played a pioneering role in establishing the pan flute as a serious instrument within the classical music world. Through his innovative musicality and distinctive artistic vision, he has expanded the technical and expressive possibilities of the instrument and introduced it to a new audience.
Matthijs plays an all-metal pan flute built by the Dutch organ builder Flentrop, made available to him by the Musical Instrument Fund.
The instrument consists of brass pipes and tin heads and has a very rich, warm tone. It has an exceptionally wide dynamic range, and compared to traditional instruments, it offers a great deal of flexibility in shaping the sound.
Koene’s repertoire ranges from early Renaissance music to the most recent works of the 21st century. As a passionate advocate of contemporary music, he has inspired composers from all over Europe to write for the pan flute, resulting in hundreds of works composed specifically for him. These include solo pieces, chamber music, works for pan flute and organ, and solo concertos.
As a soloist, Koene has performed in major international venues, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York, Megaron—The Athens Concert Hall, De Doelen in Rotterdam, and the NOSPR Concert Hall in Katowice. In addition, he is regularly invited to contemporary music festivals, such as November Music (the Netherlands) and Donaueschinger Musiktage (Germany).
He has performed with renowned orchestras, including the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Markus Stenz, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Franck Ollu, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marzena Diakun, I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis, and the Combattimento Consort. As a chamber musician, he collaborates with internationally renowned ensembles such as Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ictus Ensemble, Omnibus Ensemble, and Oxalys Ensemble. He has also been a long-standing member of the Dutch Black Pencil Ensemble.
His recordings and artistic projects have received international recognition. His recording of *La Flûte de Pan & Quintettes* by Jean Cras, featuring soprano Sophie Karthäuser and the Oxalys Ensemble, received a Diapason d’Or. He has also won the Vriendenkrans Prize from the Royal Concertgebouw, among other awards.
Koene began playing the pan flute at the age of seven and later graduated cum laude from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In 2005, he was appointed principal instructor of pan flute at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam to train a new generation of pan flutists.
Listen to the first recordings of the Flentrop pan flute:
