Merlijn Bakker studied violin with Chris Duindam during his bachelor’s program at the Utrecht Conservatory. There, he took master classes and lessons from Kevin Lawrence, Victor Garcia Garcia, Georgy Kovalev, and others.
During his studies, he formed the Rosko Quartet with three friends; the quartet gave concerts in both the Herz and the Grote Zaal at Tivoli Vredenburg and performed at various festivals. The quartet attends masterclasses at the Dutch String Quartet Academy, taught by Marc Danel, Pierre Colombet, and Gerhard Schultz, among others.
Merlijn is a co-founder and board member of the Utrecht String Ensemble, a string orchestra founded in 2024 and based at the Utrecht Conservatory. The orchestra is managed entirely by its members and has given concerts at the Dom Church in Utrecht, Tivoli Vredenburg, and at the Rapunzel Festival, featuring pianist Alexander Kashpurin, among others.
When I played in the Dutch Student Orchestra in 2025, I had the opportunity to play a violin from the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund. That’s when I discovered that the violin helped and inspired me to bring out the most beautiful and resonant sounds from the instrument. After the tour, I came back to take my time finding the instrument that suits me best. I’m incredibly happy to be able to play this violin and bow. They also go together wonderfully. It’s nice to receive compliments about the instrument—it feels great!
