Ernst Reijseger

(Bussum, NL, 1954) was taught to play cello as of age eight by Anner Bijlsma, then the first cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. At the end of the 1960s he began improvising and developed his own playing style. From this time onward he performed throughout Europe with various ensembles, playing modern classical music as well as jazz improv. In the late 1980s he founded the Clusone Trio, which made five albums in ten years and gave concerts around the world. Currently Reijseger performs mostly with pianist Harmen Fraanje and the Senegalese vocalist Molla Sylla. He also composes scores for films and documentaries, including for director Werner Herzog. He teaches children and adults worldwide and has accompanied the likes of poets Ramsey Nasr and Ester Naomi Perquin, writer/poet Joke van Leeuwen, and artist Gerti Bierenbroodspot. The cellist has made more than 150 CDs and won the Boy Edgar Prize and an Edison, among others. In 2010 he won a Golden Calf (the Dutch Oscar) for best film score.