About us
Jacobus den Herder - Piano
Jacobus den Herder (Zutphen, 1985) is a graduate of the Zwolle and Amsterdam Conservatories. He completed his study in 2011 with David Kuyken and Willem Brons.
Jacobus was a first prize winner at the Prinses Christina Competition in Enchede, where he also won the Donemus Prize for his interpretation of contemporary music and additional prizes as an accompanist.
In 2013, Jacobus collaborated with the well-known Dutch fashion designer, Jan Taminiau. Jacobus performed pieces by Mozart and Satie during Taminiau’s summer 2013 fashion shows in Paris and Amsterdam.
Jacobus appears regularly in concert with mezzo-soprano Rosanne van Sandwijk, alto violinist Anna den Herder and cellist Wijnand Hulst. He is also part of the promising new Jacob Olie Trio, with violinist Diet Tilanus and cellist Jurrian van der Zanden.
In 2014, Jacobus created an arrangement of Schubert’s Winterreise for baritone and piano trio. He collaborated with photographer Foppe Schut, culminating in a multimedia performance of ‘Winterreise.’ The CD recording of this arrangement will be released at the end of 2015.
Jacobus has taken Master Classes with Pascal Devoyon, Rian de Waal, Naum Grubert, Elena Ashkenazy and Ronald Brautigam. He plays on a Steinway grand piano, which has been provided to him by the National Music Instruments Fund in Amsterdam.
Diet Tilanus - Violin
Among the best musical talents of the Netherlands, Diet Tilanus is a passionate violinist who's interpretations full of depth and tenderness are never left to hazard.
Specially in love with chamber music, she chose to be part of the renowned string ensemble "Amsterdam Sinfonietta", conducted from the violin by Candida Thompson, with which she travels the world, playing and recording with the best soloist, like Janine Jansen, Martin Fröst, Barbara Hannigan, Sol Gabetta.
Diet already gave recitals and chamber music concerts in the most renown venues in Europe, Asia and Australia, like the Barbican Hall in London, the Hermitage and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Kobe National Center for Performing Arts, NCPA Mumbai and Mazda Hall Pune in India for "Arties Festival". with among others Joshua Bell, Julia-Maria Kretz, Alexandre Razzera, Christophe Morin, Candida Thompson, Daniel Bard.
With her piano trio, Diet won the "Ivan Sutton Award", and went on a tailor made tour to Australia for concerts and master classes in Brisbane.
After being part of the academy of the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, member of the Mahler Youth Orchestra and Concertmaster of the Netherlands Youth Orchestra, Diet has also established herself as a very experienced orchestra player, and is the cherished guest of the best orchestras in Europe, conducted by Claudio Abbado, Bernhard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Harding, Mariss Jansons, Daniele Gatti.
Diet graduated with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, being a student of David Takeno, and from the Conservatory of Amsterdam, class of Ilya Grubert. She's now passing on her knowledge, coaching the violin section of the Netherlands Youth String Orchestra, and visiting children to schools, where she initiates them to music.
You can regularly hear and see Diet at the radio or on tv, where she performs the repertoire, from solo pieces like Ysaye's second solo sonata to chamber music like Mozart clarinet quintet which was broadcasted recently.
When not playing her instrument, Diet likes to ski, climb, squash, and go out for "gezellig" evenings with her friends.
She performs on a 17th century "Cappa" violin, which has been provided to her by the National Music Instruments Fund in Amsterdam.
Jurrian van der Zanden - Cello
Dutch cellist Jurrian van der Zanden performs throughout Europe as a chamber and orchestra musician. As a chamber music collaborator he played at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall and Zankel Hall, Musikverein, Concertgebouw and Palacio de Bellas Artes. He is a freelance player with the academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Amsterdam sinfonietta and the Royale Philharmonic Orchestra.
A graduate from Yale School of Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Mr. van der Zanden’s principal teachers include Aldo Parisot, Leonid Gorokhov and Elias Arizcuren. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Aldo Parisot prize. He performs on a Max Moller cello, loaned to him by the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds (NMF)