Profile
Education
Pianist Eke Simons (1981) received her education at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, where she studied with Geoffrey Douglas Madge, David Kuyken and Han Louis Meijer. She has taken part in master classes by Pascal Devoyon, Stefan Vladar and Steve Reich. In 2007 she finished her Masters degree in Solo Piano with honors.
Soloist
As a soloist, Eke has performed in the major concert halls throughout the Netherlands. She has also appeared as a soloist with orchestra, playing Mozart’s piano concerto KV 491 in C minor. In January 2006 Eke made her solo debut on the Dutch Radio, performing Leoš Janaček’s Sonata I.X.1905.
The art of song
During her studies, Eke specialized in the art of “Lied”-accompaniment. She studied intensively with Han Louis Meijer and participated in master classes by Meindert Kraak and Rudolf Jansen. Her final exam concert was received with very high appreciation. Eke has formed a duo with the vigorous young alto Carina Vinke. The combined musical energy of this duo creates radiant, lively, yet extremely nuanced interpretations.
Chamber musician
Ever since she was a child, Eke has enjoyed the experience of playing with other musicians. Over the years, she has established herself as a devoted chamber musician, performing in ensembles of various sizes, ranging from duo to sextet.
Chamber music concerts have brought her to England, Belgium, Spain and Sweden. In Holland she has performed in the famous concert halls, such as Vredenburg (Utrecht), Muziekcentrum (Enschede) and Concertgebouw (Amsterdam)
She presently performs as a duo with the young Swedish cellist Elisabeth Wiklander, specializing not only in the romantic cello repertoire, but also in the field of (contemporary) Scandinavian music. Together they present highly diverse programs, creating a unique and captivating ambiance.
Eke and contemporary music
Having been inspired by many contemporary pieces, Eke has become a passionate interpreter of compositions from the late 20th and 21st century.
She has been invited by the world famous percussionist Colin Currie to join him in performing “Parallel Lines” by Joe Duddell (*1972) for piano and percussion. With her duo partner, she has performed pieces for cello and piano by the Swedish composer Kurt Wiklander (*1950). In the future, Mr Wiklander will be dedicating new compositions to this duo.
In November 2008 Eke has given a solo performance at the famous “Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ” in Amsterdam with new work, dedicated to her.
