Isabelle van Keulen

A violinist and violist of the highest calibre, Isabelle van Keulen has an established reputation on the worlds’ concert platforms. She is one of the most sought after and charismatic musicians of her generation.

Van Keulen has appeared with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bayerischer Rundfunk, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vienna Radio Symphony, Tonhalle Zürich, NHK Symphony Tokyo, London Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, the Hallé Orchestra, Netherlands, Royal Stockholm and Helsinki Philharmonics, the Minnesota Orchestra and Cincinnati and Toronto Symphonies. Conductors with whom she works include Thomas Dausgaard, Mark Elder, Valery Gergiev, Philippe Herreweghe, Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Sir Neville Marriner, Andris Nelsons, Sir Roger Norrington, Joseph Swensen, Osmo Vänskä, Hugh Wolff and David Zinman.

Since 2009/10 Isabelle van Keulen is Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. In this position she led the orchestra through extended tours, like in march 2010 to Asia, and performs at the same time also as a soloist.

Beyond that also chamber music is one of her favourites. In 2010 she celebrated with pianist Ronald Brautigam 20 years of their duo performances with the cycle of all Beethoven violin sonatas. Besides she is member of the Leopold String Trio and plays regularly in ensemble with the clarinettist Sharon Kam. One more successful cooperation is with the mezzo-soprano Christiane Stotijn.

There is a large CD documentation of Isabelle van Keulen’s work, especially the duo-recording with Ronald Brautigam, including works by Grieg, Elgar, and Sibelius as well as Strauss, Rota and Respighi, als well as her recording of the violin concert by Alban Berg with Göteborg Symphony Orchestra under Mario Venzago. Further recordings include the complete work by Max Bruch for violin, viola and orchestra together with the Bamberger Symphonikern and also the viola concert by Alfred Schnittke and Mendelssohn’s violin concert.

Contemporary works are also part of her repertoire, there is a violin concert donated to her by Erkki-Sven Tüür she recorded with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi.

Isabelle van Keulen plays a violin by Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (1734), her viola is from Peter Greiner.