Willem van den Dool
ABOUT WILLEM
Willem is broadly active in chamber music – he played in varying ensembles, in which he always strived to play a broad repertoire, including both well-known and lesser-known music from many periods and styles.
As a lied pianist, Willem was selected this year as a Britten Pears Young Artist 25-26, for which he is coached by Roderick Williams and Malcolm Martineau, among others. He forms a permanent lied duo with mezzo-soprano Jasperina Verheij, with whom he recently won second prize at the Gelre Chamber Music Competition. Furthermore, they reached the final at the International Lied Duo Competition Groningen and won the Vrienden van het Lied award. Together, they attended the masterclass week at the International Lied Festival Zeist, where they received lessons from renowned lied singers and pianists such as Elly Ameling, Hans Eijsackers, and Robert Holl. They were also Young Artists at SongEasel in London and participated in the Udo Reinemann International Masterclasses in Brussels, where they received masterclasses from Joseph Middleton, Christianne Stotijn, and Hartmut Höll, among others.
In his free time, he enjoys drawing and cooking, and likes spending time in nature.
From my very first music lesson, I felt what a strong emotional bond music can bring. This connection, with other musicians and with the audience, is what I always seek in music.
Willem van den Dool (1999) is a versatile pianist, praised for his heartfelt and sensitive playing. He plays solo and chamber music and specializes in lieder.
Willem studied Classical Piano with Slava Poprugin and Ellen Corver at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In addition to the modern piano, he plays the fortepiano, in which he received lessons from Petra Somlai and Bart van Oort. A highlight on fortepiano came when he opened a concert by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century on the fortepiano with Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's Piano Trio. He is currently finishing his Master's degree in Classical Piano under Ellen Corver.
He received masterclasses from Severin von Eckardstein, Alexander Melnikov, and Alexei Lubimov, among others.
