Biography

Jellantsje de Vries is one of the most versatile Dutch violinists of her generation. Her affinity with theatre, dance and visual arts has led to collaborations with several choreographers, directors and other artists, which resulted in many interesting and well received performances.

Besides theatre, Jellantsje is also an acclaimed chamber musician and soloist. She has performed solo and chamber works with the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble, Looptail, Insomnio and the Doelen Ensemble and worked with conductors such as Etienne Siebens, Arie van Beek, Bas Wiegers and Reinbert de Leeuw.

She is a fixed member of new music ensembles such as Oerknal, Postland, Herz Ensemble and Luna String Quartet. Her background in new music has given her the opportunity to be part of many world premieres of composers based in the Netherlands: a.o. Klaas de Vries, Jan van de Putte, Kate Moore, Rob Zuidam, Christina Oorebeek and Louis Andriessen.

Her love for new music, however, doesn’t interfere with her affinity with – (and understanding of) – music of older periods and other genres.

As a soloist she performed works such as Klaas de Vries’ violin concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato (OSUG), led by Bas Wiegers, Troparion by Robert Zuidam, together with mezzo-soprano Helena Rasker and the Pocket Size Violin Concerto by Klas Torstensson together with the DoelenEnsemble.

After her graduation Jellantsje de Vries also started playing the viola. Since then several composers wrote pieces for her that involved playing both violin and viola.

In 2012 Jellantsje became a member of The Stolz Quartet, being part of several music theatre performances, such as A Love Unsung, composed by Rob Zuidam and directed by Kees Stolze, with the Belgian actor Johan Leysen, and Loud Shadows | Liquid Events, with music of Kate Moore, choreographed and danced by LeineRoebana, performed in a bubble made by the designer and founder of Plastique Fantastique, Marco Canevacci. Both of these performances were played multiple times during the Oerol Festival on Terschelling in 2015 and 2017.

With The Stolz Quartet she recorded two CD’s with music by Ravel (Tombeau de Couperin, arranged by Rob Zuidam), Scriabin, Rob Zuidam, Klaas de Vries, Theo Verbey, Einar Torfi Einarsson and Kate Moore (Herz).

In 2017 Jellantsje took over the role of artistic director in The Stolz Quartet and organized a staged concert with music of Jan van de Putte and Klaas de Vries, performed with a choreography of Kenzo Kusuda and an animation film based on Japanese haikus, made by her own hand.

Jellantsje de Vries started playing the violin at the age of 6 with the Dutch violin teacher Coosje Wijzenbeek.

When she was 12 years old she was admitted to the Young Talent Class of the conservatory of Amsterdam. There she continued her studies with Lex Korff de Gidts and successfully graduated in 2010. In 2012 she finished her master’s degree with the highest distinction at the same conservatory after studying with Vera Beths.

Jellantsje took masterclasses with Theo Olof and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg quartet). In 2005 she won 1st price during the regional Prinses Christina Concours. Several times she was the concertmaster in orchestral projects of the National Youth Orchestra (NJO) and the Conservatory Orchestra of Amsterdam and worked with conductors such as Thomas Klug, Lucas Vis, Bas Wiegers, Ludovic Morlot and Reinbert de Leeuw.

Her debut in music theatre was made during a production for children named The Porcelain Rabbit, directed by the famous playwright Ad de Bont and with music of the Turkish composer Evrim Demirel.

Jellantsje believes in the importance of a good relationship between violinist and violin maker. She is playing a violin, made in 2005, by the Dutch violin maker Jan van der Elst. Also her viola and other instruments she plays (like the Hardanger fiddle) is coming from his atelier in Dordrecht.