Quirijn van Regteren Altena
Quirijn van Regteren Altena is a highly sought after soloist, chamber music player and orchestral musician. As a soloist, Quirijn has commissioned various compositions for his instrument, which have been featured on his critically acclaimed CD's Characters (Olympia-Records, London) and Pantomime (Aristo).
As a longtime member of the world-renowned Schönberg Ensemble Quirijn has worked closely with composers such as John Adams, Louis Andriessen and Sofia Gubaidulina, Mauricio Kagel, and Steve Reich. Noted for his versatility, Quirijn performed SEQ, a new work for electronic (Zeta) bass, as a commission for The Schönberg Ensemble by composer Ernst Oosterveld.
In 2009 Quirijn van Regteren Altena was invited to perform in the Carte-Blanche Series at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. At this special film-concert event Quirijn performed the music for the Chekov film Romance with Double Bass in which he also appeared in the title role in the film. Romance with Double Bass was featured at the 2009 Netherlands Film Festival.
In June 2011 Quirijn van Regteren Altena performed Conversations with Cachao with the notable jazz musician, composer and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera with the Metropole Orchestra at the world famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Quirijn was principal double bass of the Residentie Orkest the Hague for 15 years and is presently principal study teacher of double bass at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague and the Utrecht Conservatory in the Netherlands.
He studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Anthony Woodrow and with Gary Karr at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut.
Along with pianist Peter Beijersbergen van Henegouwen, Quirijn enjoys a diverse musical life and concertizes extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.
Quirijn plays a 1720 G.B. Grancino double bass, a Gasparo da Salò from 1581 and a Torajirõ Sakamoto built in 1981.
Taken from Quirijn van Regteren Altena's web page on the site of the Royal Conservatiore, The Hague
