My Research
Artists do research. Some researchers even say that art itself is research. While this may be true, I believe in sharing research through means beyond just art. This is why I share my PhD via this website. For my informal research, I keep a separate blog.
My research focuses on historically informed performance. It began the moment I picked up a baroque cello. For years, my research was practical and informal, primarily supporting my performing career. Then I started teaching and supervising research in the Master of Music program at Codarts Rotterdam, where we developed methodologies for formal artistic research suited to master’s students. I found this so interesting that I decided to pursue a PhD on a topic closely aligned with my playing direction at the time: 19th-century performance practice, specifically the playing style of Alfredo Piatti. The Royal Academy of Music in London, where Piatti taught for 30 years, was the obvious place for this PhD. A portrait of Piatti with his dog still hangs in the corridor there and inspired the photo on this page.
After I completed my PhD in 2019, most of my research has returned to being informal. This is how I like it best – perhaps because it was how my beloved teacher, Anner Bijlsma, did his research. It begins with practical questions that arise during playing, teaching, or reading. Often, it’s small-scale and not suited for expensive books or journals; occasionally, it's substantial enough for a conference presentation. Sometimes, I use it for teaching. You can find much of it on my research blog.
My research focuses on historically informed performance. It began the moment I picked up a baroque cello. For years, my research was practical and informal, primarily supporting my performing career. Then I started teaching and supervising research in the Master of Music program at Codarts Rotterdam, where we developed methodologies for formal artistic research suited to master’s students. I found this so interesting that I decided to pursue a PhD on a topic closely aligned with my playing direction at the time: 19th-century performance practice, specifically the playing style of Alfredo Piatti. The Royal Academy of Music in London, where Piatti taught for 30 years, was the obvious place for this PhD. A portrait of Piatti with his dog still hangs in the corridor there and inspired the photo on this page.
After I completed my PhD in 2019, most of my research has returned to being informal. This is how I like it best – perhaps because it was how my beloved teacher, Anner Bijlsma, did his research. It begins with practical questions that arise during playing, teaching, or reading. Often, it’s small-scale and not suited for expensive books or journals; occasionally, it's substantial enough for a conference presentation. Sometimes, I use it for teaching. You can find much of it on my research blog.
