Vincent van Amsterdam
Biography Vincent van Amsterdam
Vincent van Amsterdam
winner of the Dutch Classical Talent Award 2016, is a big promoter of the classical accordion. He completed both his Bachelor's and his Master's degree cum laude at the Fontys Academy for Fine Arts Tilburg (NL). Vincent is a laureate of various (inter)national music competitions, including the Prinses Christina Concours (NL, 2007), the National Accordion Competition (NL, 2008 and 2009), and the International Young Musicians Competition (IT, 2009). At the Coupe Mondiale (HR, 2010) Vincent won 4th price. With the Van Amsterdam Duo, Vincent won prizes in Varaždin (HR, 2010) and Klingenthal (DE, 2012). In 2014 he received the professional jury price of the Dutch Conservatoire Competition.
Vincent started his accordion studies with his father, accordion player and teacher Evert van Amsterdam. During his Bachelor studies, Vincent was taught by Ronald van Overbruggen and Gerie Daanen. Over the course of his Master's degree, Vincent took lessons with professor Stefan Hussong at the Hochschule fur Musik in Würzburg (DE), and with professor Wjatscheslaw Semionow at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow (RU). In past years, Vincent has participated in master classes and summer courses with renowned accordion players, such as Friedrich Lips (RU), Miny Dekkers (NL), Claudio Jacomucci (IT), Yuri Shishkin (RU), Mika Vayrynen (FI) en Miljan Bjeletic (RS).
Vincent's repertoire is characterized by its broad scope, which reaches from Scarlatti, Bach and Franck to Gubaidulina, Nordheim, Schmidt and Kusjakow. Additionally, Vincent has actively sought out contemporary Dutch composers. His work with them has culminated in several world premieres of pieces by Aart Strootman, Bernard van Beurden and Willem Boogman. As part of the Dutch Classical Talent Competition 2015/2016, the Performing Arts Fund (NL) awarded a grant to Maxim Shalygin for the writing of a new composition for solo accordion, especially for Vincent.
Vincent has recorded three CDs. In 2012, he recorded “A Flight Beyond the Time”, on which he performed solo compositions and chamber music works with the Van Amsterdam Duo. His subsequent CD, “Classical Accordion” (2014) consists completely of solo works by such diverse composers as Sweelinck, Bach, Gubaidulina and Tiensuu. In 2016 Vincent released a CD with the Van Amsterdam Duo, entitled “Chanson Russe”, which includes works by various Russian composers.
