Saskia Coolen

Saskia Coolen studied recorder at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam with Kees Boeke and Walter van Hauwe. She also studied the viola da gamba and musicology at the University of Utrecht. With Camerata Trajectina, she specializes in Dutch music from the Middle Ages until the Golden Age. This ensemble has already made 40 cds and played more than 1000 concerts in the Netherlands and abroad.

From 2004-2014 she was a member of Brisk Recorder Quartet Amsterdam. This quartet plays early music, but also a lot of contemporary music, specially composed for them. They make music theatre productions especially for kids. For years Saskia taught at the conservatories of Hilversum and Amsterdam; nowadays she travels the world to teach at workshops, courses and masterclasses. A leading thread through her work is historical improvisation.

For several years she has been a director of the Baroque Academy at Amherst Early Music (in the US) and artistic co-director of Camerata Trajectina.