biography

Esther Steenbergen won the first prize at a major international competition and was then overcome by doubts about life as a classical guitarist. She started her journey, sometimes desperately, other times with great pleasure, along many twisted and unusual paths.

She studied musicology, art and culture management, produced radio programs and concert series and, for a while, even worked at an employment agency for stage artists. One day, seated behind a large desk in an office building she realized it was not what she had planned. She fled the building, picked up the guitar again and has traveled the world as a concert musician ever since.

She feels equally at home playing classical, contemporary or Latin American music and is celebrated in her work as a soloist and accompanist to singers and instrumentalists, and she performs in a wide range of ensembles.

Esther Steenbergen possess a few organizing skills as well. An example of this is the Meesters op de Gitaar series in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Esther plays an instrument made by her husband, the well-known luthier, Otto Vowinkel from Amsterdam.

Esther Steenbergen studied musicology at the University of Utrecht and classical guitar with Hubert Käppel at the Musikhochschule in Cologne (Germany). She took lessons with the Czech guitarist Pavel Steidl and participated in master classes with Manuel Barrueco and Leo Brouwer from Cuba. While still a student, she won the first prize at the International Music Competition Maria Canals in Barcelona (Spain).

In my own words
The boy next door tried to win my heart by playing me a song but his guitar won my heart instead. I started lessons at the local music school but soon switched over to a private teacher who prepared me for the entrance exam of the conservatory of Rotterdam. While studying there I got to know Pavel Steidl who had come to live in the Netherlands after winning the legendary guitar competition organized by Radio France. I was very impressed by his musical skills, technique and personality. He gave me private lessons for about a year and I still profit from the technical exercises he made do. He prepared me for my entrance exam at the Musikhochschule Köln in Germany where I studied with Hubert Käppel who I wanted to study with after having heard his beautiful recording of Bach and Kellner.

During my studies I won the Maria Canals competition and started to develop what you could call a solo career. But touring and performing all by myself did not make me the happiest person in the world and I began to doubt the whole idea of being a classical guitarist. To broaden my view and make up my mind I studied Musical Sciences in combination with Art Management at the Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht. After that I worked as a producer for concert series Rumori, venue De IJsbreker and a radio program of broadcasting company NCRV a.o.

Although this was all very interesting to do, It didn’t make me the happiest person so I reopened my guitar case and became a guitarist again. Since then I tour around the world a.o. ten years as a member of the Amsterdam Guitar Trio. I got deeply affected by the Latin American repertoire, Spanish music and music from Bach and earlier. Approximately every two year I make a CD.  And because the former organizer moved to another part of the country and we both agreed that it would be a pity if there wouldn’t remain a guitar series in  the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, I produce Meesters op de Gitaar.

Now a days my life consists of performing, writing and producing. I feel at home in a wide variety of styles and genres. With my trio I play the Latin American repertoire in a blend of classical, jazz and traditional music. As a soloist I play classical and contemporary music. I play chamber music, accompany singers and instrumental soloists. Occasionally I take part in music theater productions.