Jaap Schröder

Born in Amsterdam in 1925, violinist, conductor, musicologist and teacher Jaap Schröder was renowned for his historically informed performances from the Baroque through to the Romantic period of music. He studied violin and musicology at Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Sorbonne in Paris before joining the Netherlands String Quartet. He became music director of the Hilversum Radio Chamber Orchestra and was a founding member of the early music group Concerto Amsterdam in 1960. In the early 1970s, he became known as an expert in historically informed performance, not just of the Baroque period, but looking further ahead to the Classical and Romantic periods. He formed the Esterhäzy Quartet in 1973 whilst continuing to be active as a soloist, conductor and teacher. In 1980, Schröder became the musical director of the Academy of Ancient Music in London, where he remained until 1984. Alongside renowned period performance specialist Christopher Hogwood, he directed their recordings of Mozart's Complete Symphonies, the first to be recorded on period instruments. He became a visiting director of the Smithsonian Chamber Project in 1982 and founded the Smithsonian String Quartet in the same year. He taught for many years at the School of Music at Yale University. As a soloist, Schröder has recorded several notable works including Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' in 1970 with Concerto Amsterdam and Bach's 'Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord' with Anneke Uittenbosch in 1978. He has also recorded many other works, including some lesser known solo violin works by composers Biber and Uccellini. As conductor he has recorded works including Handel's 'Concerto for Organ No. 14' with Concerto Amsterdam (1976) and Geminiani's '6 Concerto Grossi, Op.3' with the Academy of Ancient Music (1977). In 1998 he performed the violin solo part on a recording of Bach's 'Violin Concertos' with the Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Christopher Hogwood. In later life, Schröder continued to perform and teach, and in 2007, had his book 'Bach's Solo Violin Works' published by Yale University Press. He died on 1st January 2020 at the age of 94.

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