Sofie Vanden Eynde

Sofie Vanden Eynde was born in Lommel, Belgium. She studied guitar from an early age and her interest in the poetic music of the Renaissance and Baroque led her to study lute and theorbo. She studied with Philippe Malfeyt at the Ghent Conservatory and graduatewith honours in 2002. She then embarked on further studies with Hopkinson Smith at theSchola Cantorum in Basel.

Sofie has gained an international reputation as a specialist in historical plucked instruments. She regularly performs with ensembles including Il Gardellino, Apotheosis, Apsara, A Nocte Temporis, Hathor Consort,… As a duo, she has played with Lieselot De Wilde, Deborah Cachet, Romina Lischka and Emma Kirkby,…

In 2012, Sofie set up Imago Mundi, an ensemble which aims to foster encounters between different branches of the arts and kinds of music: eastern and western, old and new. Divine Madness, their first production, enjoyed national and international acclaim. In My End is My Beginning, a performance inspired by the fascinating life and myth of Mary, Queen of Scots, premiered at Operadagen Rotterdam in 2018 to rave reviews.

During the 2019-2020 season Sofie worked on Murmuring Muses And Whispering Jinn, a conversation between her instrument, the lute, the oud, as played by Saad Mahmood Jawad, and the poetry of Mahmoud Jaber amongst others. She also developed A New Advent, a programme of alternative Christmas music focusing on the darker side of the season of light. Fascinating projects on burn-out (Vanishing Point - Verdwijntijd) and destruction and renaissance (T.E.N.E.B.R.A.E.) are currently in the works.

Over the past few years, Sofie has performed at festivals and concert venues both in Belgium and further afield (Styriarte, Valletta Baroque, Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht, Festspiele Sanssouci Potsdam, MA-Festival, Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen, Händel Festival Halle, BOZAR, AMUZ, Concertgebouw Brugge, Wigmore Hall, Kasteelconcerten (NL), ALBA NOVA, de Grote Post, ’t Schaliken, Operadagen Rotterdam, Miry, museum Vleeshuis, MUBAFA, Dublin National Concert Hall, …) She has recorded for RAMEE, CORO, Phaedra, CYPRES, Aeolus, Fuga Libera, Paraty, Ricercar and K617.