Dutch Evening

Niek Baar-violin

Dutch violinist Niek Baar has made a name for himself as a charismatic and serious musician, who has managed to thrill audiences nationally and internationally, in renowned venues as the Philarmonie Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Oriental Centre Shanghai and the Gasteig in Munich. A major boost to his career came in 2018 when he won first prize at the Oskar Back Competition in the Netherlands.

Niek, who made his solo debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 16, is a regular soloist with orchestras such as the German Radio Philarmonie Saarbrücken, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Residentie Orkest in The Hague.

An intensive and long-term musical collaboration links him with American pianist Ben Kim, with whom he has already given several duo recitals at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Gasteig München (broadcast live by BR-Klassik). This was followed by their debut at the Philharmonie Essen in November 2021. For ‘Avrotros Klassiek’, the two musicians recorded a CD in 2018 with duo works by Kreisler, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.

Recent projects included concerts with the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken, the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss and Isabelle van Keulen, the Philharmonisches Orchester Vorpommern and duo recitals with pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout. In 2021 Niek toured through Europe with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra after which he recorded his debut CD with this orchestra for Channel Classics / Outhere Music.

Niek has won numerous national and international music competitions, including the Prinses Christina Concours 2010 (1st prize) and “International Solo Bach Competition” in London 2012 (1st prize) and the Oskar Back Violin Competition 2018 (1st prize). He also received the Grommek Prize at the Kronberg Festival in Germany and was awarded the Kersjes Prize in 2015.

Niek Baar was born in Rotterdam in 1991 and received his first violin lessons at the age of eight. He then studied at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ in Berlin with Prof Stephan Picard, where he obtained his master’s degree with distinction in July 2016. From 2016, Niek continued his studies in Munich with Prof Christoph Poppen.

Niek plays on a violin ‘ex Vornbaum’ built by Carlo Bergonzi in Cremona in 1729.

Ben Kim-piano

American pianist Ben Kim has been praised for his performances described as “practically euphoric and filled with vitality” and has gained an increasing reputation for its sensibility and integrity. The first prize winner of the 55th ARD International Music Competition for Piano has garnered critical acclaim for his performances worldwide, at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall,   Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Gewandhaus, Suntory Hall, and the Kennedy Center with symphony orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio, German Radio, Leipzig, Baltimore, Kyushu, Seoul, and St Petersburg Hermitage State Symphony Orchestras. This season, he makes his debuts with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra at the Tonhalle under Christoph Eschenbach, at the Cologne Philharmonie with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under Christoph Poppen, and at the Musikfest Berlin in the Berlin Philharmonie with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017 Ben Kim received the LOTTO Career Development Prize from the Rheingau Music Festival. In 2012, he was one of six recipients selected from over 13,000 graduates of Johns Hopkins University to receive the Outstanding Recent Graduate Award for distinguished professional achievement. His discography includes a recording of Chopin’s Préludes and Impromptus on Universal Decca, albums on Sony Classical and Klavier-Festival Ruhr. His latest recordings of Mozart Piano Concertos with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra on Challenge Records has earned significant critical acclaim.

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Ben studied with Leon Fleisher and Yong Hi Moon at the Peabody Conservatory and at the International Piano Academy Lake Como in Italy, directed by Martha Argerich and William Grant Naboré. He later finished his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts under Klaus Hellwig.