Holland Baroque Society gathers together the youngest generation of Baroque musicians. They met while playing in Europe’s best Baroque orchestras, and in 2005 felt the time was ripe for a new sound. Since then, Holland Baroque Society has coupled innovative programming with a unique approach to performance. A nucleus of four central players Esther van der Eijk (viola), Judith Steenbrink (violin), Tineke Steenbrink (harpsichord and organ) and Lidewij van der Voort (violin) determines the artistic line and organises the projects. Baroque music remains central, but they build bridges with other traditions and arts, such as Balkan music, and literature. The ensemble performs without a permanent musical director, in order to keep their ears fresh, and enrich and intensify their playing style. For each project, a Baroque specialist with a renewing vision, or an exceptional playing technique (such as the art of improvisation or decoration), or that in some other way avoids the beaten track is invited to take over the musical direction. With some – such as oboist Alfredo Bernadini, soprano Maria Keohane, and traverso player Alexis Kossenko – HBS has enjoyed a collaboration stretching over years, allowing room for greater depth and growth. In the last few years the orchestra has worked with leading musicians such as Matthew Halls, Stephen Stubbs, Miloš Valent, Stefano Montanari, Paolo Pandolfo, Veronika Skuplik and with the actress Cox Habbema. HBS has undertaken projects with the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Capella Amsterdam, and runs six of its own concert series across the country. The ensemble has also been invited by renowned old-music festivals both at home and abroad. One of the ways HBS plays an active role in the community is through its “Kids Only” educational projects, which bring thousands of children and young people into contact with baroque music every year. The ensemble’s approach to music-making was recently rewarded with a four-year structural subsidy from the Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten+, which considered that the group was on its way to becoming a leading international ensemble. HBS has also been nominated for the Dutch Association of Theatre and Concert-Hall Management’s Classical Music Prize for 2008 in the category of “New Generation of Musicians”. The group managed “thanks to their youthful enthusiasm, to make music with flair and homogeneity in an uncontrived way.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.