Josephine van Lier (born 1968, in the Netherlands) is a performing cellist specialized in both baroque and contemporary cello residing in Canada.

Biography

A versatile musician, Josephine van Lier is equally at ease on a baroque cello or a 5 string

violoncello piccolo The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, ...

as on their contemporary counterparts, using

instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...

and bows whose designs, construction and material span over 400 years in origin; from the

gut strings Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal Gut (anatomy), intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, Domest ...

of her baroque cello to her 1870 cello and the space-age material of her carbon fiber cello. She therefore covers a wide variety of repertoire utilizing the endless possibilities that this range of instruments, string set-ups and bows allow her. In 2010 she released a 4-CD set featuring all six suites for unaccompanied cello by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

played on four different cellos. This unique recording sets side by side the different sounds of historic and new instruments and compares their strengths and weaknesses. Josephine van Lier appears on the concert stages in Canada, the United States and Europe as a soloist and

chamber musician Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

.
She is on faculty at

Concordia University College of Alberta Concordia University of Edmonton, is a publicly funded independent academic institution in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; accredited under the Alberta ''Post-secondary Learning Act''. Concordia offers arts, science, and management undergraduate degre ...

. Between 2005 and 2009 she served as president for the Alberta String Association. Josephine van Lier received degree in cello performance and pedagogy from the "Gronings Conservatorium" (now called Prince Claus Conservatoire) in 1992. Since 1995 she has lived in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta, Canada. She is the cellist of the Strathcona String Quartet. Ms. van Lier is a frequent recipient of grants and awards including the "Celebration of Women in the Arts Award of 2007" from the Edmonton Arts Council. Her concerts as soloist and with the Strathcona String Quartet were noted as "Memorable live shows from 2009"

Instruments

Josephine regularly performs on four different instruments and with two different bows: * Contemporary cello built ca. 1870 in Mirecourt, France. * Baroque cello; Jay Haide “a l’ancienne” 2007. * Carbon fibre cello; Luis & Clark 2005. * 5 string violoncello piccolo; a custom built baroque instrument; Jay Haide “a l’ancienne” 2008. * Contemporary bow; Roy Quade, 2005. * Baroque Bow; Basil de Visser, 2007.

Discography

Albums * Bach: Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello (UPC 775020992429 - 2010), Josephine van Lier (cello). Recorded on four different cellos; a contemporary cello, a carbon fiber cello, a baroque cello and a violoncello piccolo. * Blue by Four (UPC 775020911420 - 2008), Strathcona String Quartet. Jazz arrangements and original jazz compositions by composer George Andrix * Andrix: String Quartet Works (UPC 775020563629 - 2004), Strathcona String Quartet. Contemporary classical works for string quartet by composer George Andrix

References

External links

Official site

YouTube Videos

www.cellist.nl

Strathcona String Quartet

Edmonton Arts Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lier, Josephine Van 1968 births Living people Dutch classical cellists Women classical cellists