Smit, Rebecca (1 November 1969-Present)

Cellist who started out on the piano at four years of age but gravitated to the cello when she was seven. She studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory, the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the School of the Arts and the Utrecht Conservatory, and acquired degrees in teaching and performance.

In 1994, she joined Conjunto Iberico, a cello octet, and was with them for four years. She became one third of Trinitas Trio, with violist Karin Dolman and violinist Nienke van Rijn, in 1999. In June 1999, she was a soloist with the Bataafs Symfonie Orkest in performances of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo variaties voor cello en orkest” at Preva Stichting in Den Haag and Nieuwe Badkapel in Scheveningen. She and Karin Dolman and pianist Sebastiaan Oosthout comprised the Alcuinus Trio and offered up a program of Beethoven and Brahms at the Wouwdfluit on 9^th December 2001.

In the early 2000s, Rebecca appeared on three Rob de Nijs recordings, Engelen Uitgezonderd, “Naomi”/”Kapotte Engel”, and “Vader”/”Boy”, and the various-artists compilation, Swewe en Swerwe: Poetical Songs about and from South Africa.

She has also been a member of the Bonjour Madame salontrio, C-Four Unlimited, the Doelenensemble, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Smit Project, Theatermusiekgroep De Helling, Trio Etoile, and the Zephyrkwartet.

The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and Groot Omroepkoor rang in the holidays on 21^st December 2002 with Roel van Oosten’s “Quatre Noels Anciens”, Arvo Part’s “Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten”, Alexandre Tansman’s oratorio, Isaie, le Prophete, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Christmas Carols”.

On 9^th May 2004, the Doelen Ensemble, which was rounded out by Wilbert Grootenboer, Angela Kreeftmeijer and Maarten van Veen, performed “Iyona” at the Concertbouw De Doelen, Jurriaanse zaal, Rotterdam. The Trinitas Trio interpreted works by Dohnanyi and Penderecki at the Theehuis van het Odapark te Venray on 26^th September 2004. On 20^th November 2005, Trio Etoile entertained at Mosterdzaadje in a recital of Beethoven, Glinka, Tajcevic, and Zemlinsky. C-Four Unlimited, which included Winnyfred Beldman and Tom van Lent, participated in the Midzomerfestival on 25^th Juni 2006.

On 21^st January 2007, at De Player’s Classico celebration of food and music, the Zephyrkwartet, which featured violinists Barbara Luneburg and Jacob Plooij and violist Elizabeth Smalt, tackled Thomas Ades’ “Tango uit Arcadiana”, Ryan Carter’s “Gravity Modulations”, Giacinto Scelsi’s “Quartet no. 3”, and J.P. Sweelinck’s “Frygische Fantasie”, as rearranged by Samuel Vriesen.

The Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and Groot Omroepkoor honoured Advent with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Orkestsuite nr 3 in D BWV 1068”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Mis in c, KV 427, reconstructed and completed by Helmut Eder, and Francis Poulenc’s “Quatre motets pour le temps de Noel”, on 21^st December 2007.

The Smit Project’s 2007-2008 season included a repertoire of Brahms’ “Cellosonate in e-klein” and “Hongaarse dansen voor 4-mains”, Leos Janacek’s “Pohadka voor cello en piano”, Mozart’s “2 fantasien voor 4-mains”, Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango voor 4-mains en cello”, and Saint-Saens’ “De zwaan” (from Carnival of the Animals).

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Peter Donohoe teamed up for Sergei Rachmaninov’s “Pianoconcert nr. 4 in g opus 40”, sandwiched between Antonin Dvorak’s “De Watergeest, opus 107” and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Delen uit Assepoester op. 87”, at the Holland Festival on 26^th March 2009. On 6^th June 2009, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Groot Omroepkoor bookended Hendrik Andriessen’s “Ricercare” and Louis Andriessen’s “Nocturnen” with Igor Stravinsky’s Canticum sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci nominis and “Greeting Prelude”.

Rebecca appeared at the JagthuisFestival and Pianolab, and was on the organizing committee and programmed music for the Cello Festival Drodrecht, which took place between 13^th and 16^th May 2010.

On 18^th June 2010, she added operetta to her repertoire when she sat in the orchestra pit as a member of Orchestra da Camera Oscura for a performance of The Merry Widow.

The Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic performed Claude Debussy’s “Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune”, Theo Loevendie’s “Vioolconcert” (“Vanishing Dances”) with Tasmin Little, Mozart’s “Fluitconcert in G, KV 313” with Jacques Zoon, and Beethoven’s “Achste symfonie in F, opus 93”, on 18^th September 2010.

She performs here…

Sources:

Smit, Rebecca (1 November 1969-Present)

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