Simone Lamsma: Music As an Art of Living
Acclaimed as one of the most engaging musical personalities today, Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma will team up with the OSM this coming January 16, 17 and 20 to perform Szymanowski’s Concerto no. 1. This will mark the artist’s reunion with the Orchestra after her collaboration in 2022, and after joining the OSM on tour with Kent Nagano in 2019.
Being a soloist: a life choice
Simone developed a passion for music, which was her only diversion, from a very young age. The choice to pursue a solo career was obvious to her from the time of her childhood. While the profession demands certain sacrifices, these are transcended by the joy this violinist finds in exercising her arduous yet deeply rewarding profession. Music enriches our lives, states Simone; it is a way of life that guides her every day, even off the stage.
“This is what I want to do in life! Music is my way of living!” — Simone Lamsma
With a repertoire that spans the Baroque era to the 21st century, the violinist feels a deep gratitude towards her teachers who encouraged her to learn a broad variety of works, since, as she says, once your career is underway, you don’t often have the time to assimilate new pieces.
A devotee of Bach, whom she regularly plays, she recognizes that the more one performs his music, the more it helps one to grow. Simone has more than 60 concerto performances to her credit. These include the indispensable ones by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, and Sibelius, among others, but also lesser-know works, which she ardently advocates for their rightful place in concert programs. She also enjoys venturing off the beaten path, performing concertos by Spohr, Gubaidulina, Britten, Walton, Rautavaara, and Wantenaar.
Simone Lamsma’s hobbies
When she is not playing, Simone Lamsma listens to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and especially, of course, classical music. Her favourite moments include spending time by the sea, savouring a delicious meal, and being in love. Had she not become a musician—a prospect too grim for her to contemplate—she might have had a career as a lawyer or architect.
Come and experience the artistry of Simone Lamsma, who is ranked among the best violinists in the world, in the concert Rafael Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony no. 7, an event marking the OSM’s 90th anniversary!