Erik Bosgraaf - Biography

Eric Bosgraaf received support from BBT between 2009 and 2015. For an up-to-date biography go to www.erikbosgraaf.com

Erik Bosgraaf is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading recorder players. His repertoire ranges from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to the music of today. He is the founding member of Ensemble Cordevento with whom he has performed at major festivals. He has released more than twenty CDs (Van Eyck, Boulez, Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann).

Bosgraaf has commissioned over 100 works, among them many concertos. As a (conducting) soloist he has worked with, amongst others, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Melbourne SO. Concerto Köln accompanied him on his debut in the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. If not playing the recorder, he leads from the harpsichord or conducts from the front.

As an improviser he has played with leading jazz musicians including saxophonist Yuri Honing and cellist Ernst Reijseger.

Bosgraaf is a permanent visiting professor at the Cracow Music Academy (Poland), Amsterdam Conservatoire (Netherlands) and Tsing Hua University (Taiwan), and gives masterclasses all over the world. He is the recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2009, Dutch Music Prize 2011, ECHO Rising Star 2011/2012 and the Golden Violin Award 2011.

Last updated: September 2023

I am extremely happy to have received the BBT-Award! First of all I have been able to expand my instrument collection notably. Also the generous support in producing my CD with the Vivaldi Concertos is highly appreciated. But more importantly, BBT manages to take away concerns not only in a financial aspect but also in supporting your career in the broadest sense. I hope many others will benefit from its generosity!

Photographs by Paul & Menno de Nooijer and Marco Borggreve