Nienke Kosters

My name is Nienke, and I absolutely love playing my Bachmann double bass. It’s a 150-year-old instrument, built in Amsterdam, that enchants me every day with its beautiful sound. 

I’ve been playing the double bass since I was 9, and I’ve never played anything else! It can be very difficult for double bassists to find a good, well-fitting instrument, so I was thrilled when, in my third year at the conservatory, I was able to start playing an instrument from the Musical Instrument Fund—a beautiful bass by Harry Jansen. I played that instrument for six years, and it helped me develop tremendously as a double bassist. After six years, however, I started to feel restless; I was looking for something different and found an older double bass at the Muziekinstrumentenfonds—also from Amsterdam, but this time a Bachmann from the late 19th century. I enjoy playing the double bass every day, and I really love that I can still proudly say I play a Dutch instrument! I completed my bachelor’s degree in Amsterdam with Peter Stotijn and my master’s in Lucerne with Bozo Paradzik. Those two years in Switzerland were a very valuable experience, and fortunately, I was able to bring my instrument with me.

After completing my studies in Switzerland, I moved back to the Netherlands in August 2013, where I have since been working as a freelancer in various Dutch and Belgian orchestras. I still regularly audition for positions and enjoy continuing to develop as a bassist. I’m now also a permanent member of De Bezetting Speelt, a chamber music ensemble from Rotterdam with which we perform chamber music from after 1850 in all sorts of different configurations. This is where my instrument really shines—it gives me endless possibilities. 

Every time I take my bass out of its case, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play it. Even when I don’t have any orchestral work to prepare, I enjoy pulling old pieces off the shelf and getting to work with “my” Bachmann.