Jellantsje de Vries is a Dutch violinist and performer known for her versatility and strong affinity with theatre, dance and visual arts. Her work often unfolds at the intersection of music and performance, where live music functions as an integral dramaturgical element on stage.
Her engagement with theatre and interdisciplinary work has led to collaborations with directors, choreographers and visual artists such as Ad de Bont (De Toneelmakerij), Rosa Peters (Oorkaan), Ola Mafaalani (Het Nationale Theater), Josse de Pauw (LOD in collaboration with ASKO|Schönberg) and filmmaker Barbara Meter. These collaborations resulted in numerous critically acclaimed music-theatre and performance productions, in which she appears as a visible and physically present musician on stage.
Alongside her theatre work, Jellantsje is an acclaimed chamber musician and soloist. She has performed with ensembles including ASKO|Schönberg, Insomnio, Looptail and the DoelenEnsemble, and worked with conductors such as Reinbert de Leeuw, Bas Wiegers, Arie van Beek and Etienne Siebens. She is violinist and co-curator of Postland, an Utrecht-based ensemble dedicated to contemporary music presented in unconventional formats.
A central part of her practice is her duo with pianist Bobby Mitchell, with whom she develops inventive and associative programmes that combine repertoire across styles and periods. Their collaboration is driven by a shared interest in unconventional programming and performing, resulting in recitals that are adventurous, out-of-the-box and highly communicative.
Her background in new music has led to close collaborations with composers and to performances of numerous world premieres by composers based in the Netherlands, including Klaas de Vries, Jan van de Putte, Kate Moore, Rob Zuidam, Christina Oorebeek and Louis Andriessen. At the same time, her interest in new music is complemented by a deep understanding of earlier repertoire and a curiosity for other genres.
As a soloist, Jellantsje has performed works such as Klaas de Vries’ Violin Concerto with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato, Rob Zuidam’s Troparion together with mezzo-soprano Helena Rasker, and Klas Torstensson’s Pocket Size Violin Concerto with the DoelenEnsemble.
Earlier in her career, Jellantsje was a member of The Stolz Quartet, with which she gained extensive experience in music-theatre productions and interdisciplinary performance contexts, including collaborations with actor Johan Leysen and choreographer LeineRoebana. Several of these productions were presented multiple times at the Oerol Festival. During this period, she also took on artistic leadership, curating staged concert formats that combined music, choreography and visual media.
Jellantsje studied violin with Coosje Wijzenbeek, Lex Korff de Gidts and Vera Beths at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she graduated with highest distinction. She also plays the viola and regularly performs on electric violin, moving with ease between classical music, pop and alternative electronic genres.