Janine Jansen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janine Jansen
Jansen in 2019
Born	7 January 1978 Soest, Netherlands
Alma mater	Utrechts Conservatorium
Occupation	Classical violinist and violist

Janine Jansen is a famous Dutch musician. She is known for playing the violin and the viola. Janine was born on January 7, 1978.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Janine grew up in Soest, a town in the Netherlands. Her family was very musical. Her father, Jan Jansen, played the organ, harpsichord, and piano. Her mother was a classical singer. Her brother, David Jansen, plays the harpsichord and organ. Her other brother, Maarten, is a cellist. Even her uncle, Peter Kooy, is a bass singer!

Janine started learning the violin when she was just six years old. She studied with several great teachers, including Coosje Wijzenbeek, Philippe Hirschhorn, and Boris Belkin. As a young musician, she took part in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. She competed in 1991 and 1993, even reaching the finals in 1991. Today, Janine is married to Swedish conductor Daniel Blendulf and lives in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Janine Jansen's Music Career

Jansen performing with the New York Philharmonic in 2020

Janine Jansen has had an amazing career as a classical musician. In 2001, she performed as a soloist with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. A soloist is a musician who plays a main part in a concert, often with an orchestra. She played the famous Brahms Violin Concerto. In 2005, she helped open the BBC Proms, which is a big music festival in the United Kingdom.

Playing with Famous Orchestras

Janine has performed with many famous orchestras around the world. She has received standing ovations from huge crowds. For example, in 2006, she played for 25,000 people at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Berlin's Waldbühne. In 2008, she played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to a sold-out audience.

In 2018, Janine performed Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. She played with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in December 2018, led by Valery Gergiev. She also performed with other famous musicians like Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich at the Barbican Centre in London.

Special Violins and Awards

Janine has been lucky enough to play on some very special violins. These include violins made by Antonio Stradivari, a famous violin maker from the 1700s. She has played the 1727 Stradivari "Barrere" and the 1727 Stradivari "Baron Deurbroucq." In 2020, she was given the chance to use the 1715 Stradivari "Rode, Duke of Cambridge."

Janine has also received many awards for her talent. In 2003, she won the Dutch Music Prize. In 2009, she received the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist Award in Britain. From 2002 to 2004, she was a Radio 3 New Generation Artist. For her performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, she received the Johannes Vermeer Award in 2018. This award was given to her by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science.

Chamber Music and Documentaries

Janine started her own chamber music festival in Utrecht. Chamber music is played by a small group of musicians, usually one player per part. She has also been a member of a group called Spectrum Concerts Berlin since 1998.

In September 2021, Janine was featured in a documentary film. The film was about the famous violin maker Antonio Stradivari.

Janine Jansen's Recordings

Janine Jansen has released many successful music albums. These recordings allow people all over the world to listen to her beautiful playing.

Early Albums and Success

By 2006, she had released two main albums. Her first album was a collection of short, popular pieces. Her second album featured Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons. This Vivaldi recording was very popular and sold well, especially as a digital download.

In October 2006, she released her third album. This one included the Mendelssohn and Bruch Violin Concertos. She played with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by conductor Riccardo Chailly. In 2007, she released her fourth album, called Bach: Inventions & Partita. She also recorded a live session for iTunes in 2008, featuring music by Bach.

Later Recordings and Collaborations

In 2009, Janine released an album with two major violin concertos: the Beethoven and Britten concertos. She recorded the Beethoven concerto with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. The Britten concerto was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. Both orchestras were conducted by Paavo Järvi. Janine said she had always wanted to record these two concertos together.

In 2010, she recorded her first album just for violin and piano with Itamar Golan. This album featured French music, including sonatas by Debussy and Ravel. She also recorded some pieces written especially for her by Richard Dubugon.

In 2012, Janine released an album dedicated to Prokofiev. It included his Violin Concerto No. 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She also recorded a sonata for two violins with her colleague Boris Brovtsyn.

Janine has also recorded chamber music albums. In 2013, she released an album with Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Schubert's string quintet. In June 2013, she released her second album focused on Bach. This album included Bach's violin concertos and sonatas. She even recorded some pieces with her father, Jan Jansen, playing the harpsichord.

See also

In Spanish: Janine Jansen para niños