Lucia Swarts began studying the cello at the age of seven. She studied with Anner Bijlsma and Lidewij Scheifes at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague , where she acquired her solo degree in 1985.
In the year of her final exam , she gave her debut recital in the Kleine Zaal at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw , as a prizewinner in the `New Vintage`series for talented young musicians.
Apart from her appearances as a soloist , she has devoted considerable time and effort to playing music from every period of musical history in a wide range of chamber music settings, using instruments appropriate to the period .As well as the modern cello, she also plays piano, the viola da Spalla, baroque cello, cello piccolo and basse de Violon.
From 1983 on she played in the Schoenberg Ensemble (later Asko/Schoenberg) and worked with composers as György Ligety, Sofia Gubaidulina , György Kurtag, Reinbert de Leeuw, Oliver Knussen, John Adams, Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Martijn Padding and Mayke Nas Composer Mayke Nas (Componist des vaderlands 2016-2018) wrote a piece for her. In June 1996 Lucia was one of the solo players in the Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble in the Opera `A King Riding ` by Klaas de Vries.
Since 1983 , Lucia has been principal cellist in the baroque orchestra of the Netherlands Bach society and she also plays in the Residentie Bach Ensemble.
She worked with baroque specialists as Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen, Sigiswald Kuijken, René Jacobs, Peter Dijkstra, Jos van Veldhoven , Jos Vermunt and Ton Koopman.
While early music and contemporary music has a special place in her affection and where she was performing in many CD`s she also performs romantic music.In 1997 she recorded a CD with Leo van Doeselaar (piano ) with music of Saint -Saëns, Busoni, Moscheles and Gounod. CD .
She is always looking for new repertoire ( for herself and also for her students) ,which needs to become out of the shadow.
Lucia issued 7 solo CDs.
Six Cello Sonatas by Vivaldi (CC72051), Cello Sonatas by Boccherini (CC 72065), Italian Cello Concertos (CC 72021), Bach after Bach .Vol. 1(with Leo van Doeselaar (CC72066) , Italian Concertos & Sonatas (CC 72516).The Italian Origins (seven mouintain records) and Cello Solo Suites by J.S.Bach ( CC 72784) She is a professor in `modern ` and historical cello at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague since 1988 , where she works with Elena Malinova. Elena is also already for many years the correpetitor of her cellostudents.
Lucia is also visiting professor at the Conservatoire Superior de Salamanca and Sevilla (Spain).

Rémy Baudet studied history at the University of Groningen and the violin at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam (under Mark Lubotski), where he was awarded the Prix d’Excellence. He is the concert master of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, the Gelders Orkest and of Musica Amphion with whom he has recorded many CDs over the past few years. In addition he founded the Le Zéphyre and is a member of the Van Swieten Society. Baudet has played with – and soloed with – many leading orchestras in the Netherlands and abroad. He has also written a thesis about the development of violin playing between 1780 and 1880, taught at various conservatoires and been a history of art teacher for a number of years.

The Dutch soprano, Nienke Oostenrijk, studied at the Sweelinck School of Music in Amsterdam. She already passed her doctoral examination in Conservatory in Amsterdam. It was there that she gained the ‘Uitvoerend Musicus’ (performer’s) diploma in 1993 with Margaret Honig. Since then she has been pursuing her studies with Cora Canne Meijer. She took part in master-classes with Arleen Augér, Elly Ameling, Robert Holl and others.
Nienke Oostenrijk appears in opera roles as well as on the concert platform, and has sung throughout Europe but has spent most of her time in The Netherlands and a good deal of time in Germany. Her opera repertoire includes several roles that belong to the repertoire of high sopranos. With several companies she had sung the role of Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Other roles include Pamina in Mozart ‘s Die Zauberflöte, Sophie in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and Tebaldo in Verde’s Don Carlos, with the conductors like Kees Bakels, Marc Soustrot, Friedrich Haider and Carlo Rizzi.
Apart from being an opera singer Nienke Oostenrijk is a much sought-after Lieder singer and concert soloists. Bach’s St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) brought her to Berlin Konzerthaus. A series of performances throughout the Netherlands of Mozart’s Requiem with Jaap van Zweden conducting was followed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in the Berlin Konzerthaus, conducted by Jac van Steen. Increasingly she is also active in the field of 20th–century classical music, performing in the works of composers like Arnold Schoenberg (Second String Quartet), Jeff Hamburg and Igor Markevitch.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta has occupied a unique position as the only professional string orchestra in the Netherlands for the past 25 years. Founded in 1988, with Lev Markiz as its first artistic director, the ensemble has performed throughout the world, touring Europe, China, the United States and Australia. It has appeared at major venues sich as the Barbican Hall in London, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the National Centre of Performing Arts in Beijing and the Berlin Konzerthaus.
The ensemble comprises 22 string players who perform under the leadership of its concertmaster and artistic leader Candida Thompson. This approach to music- making without a conductor is what distinguishes the group from ‘regular’ chamber orchestras. It calls for an extremely intense degree of involvement from all the musicians. The repertoire covers a variety of styles, extending from the Baroque repertoire to contemporary works. Alongside performances of mainstream repertoire, the orchestra frequently champions unjustly neglected or new works. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has recently premièred compositions by David Matthews, Michel van der Aa, Kate Moore, Tigran Mansurian and Peteris Vasks. Leading composers such as Thomas Larcher, Rozalie Hirs and Sofia Gubaidulina are currently composing new works commissioned by Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
The ensemble has gained a reputation for creating highly innovative programmes; its trademark versatility recently earned it the prestigious classical music prize De Ovatie [The Ovation] in 2013. It frequently presents original and compelling combinations of works, initiates surprising collaborations and embraces groundbreaking concepts involving video art, dance or theatre. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has worked with a host of internationally renowned musicians, such as Sergei Khachatryan, Barbara Hannigan, Thomas Hampson, David Fray, Janine Jansen, Dejan Lazic, Steven Isselis, Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Nino Gvetadze, Christianne Stotijn, Bobby McFerrin and Wende Snijders.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta’s educational KleuterSinfonietta performances are enjoyed by thousands of young children in the Netherlands each year. It also organises the Sinfonietta Strijkersdagen [Sinfonietta String Players Days], giving young musicians the opportunity to participate in workshops and perform in public in specially formed string orchestras.
Within the past decade Amsterdam Sinfonietta has produced an impressive array of CDs under Candida Thompson’s leadership, in collaboration with the high-quality Channel Classics label. These include ‘The Mahler Album’ (2011), ‘Britten’ (2013) and ‘Shostakovich & Weinberg’ (2013). ‘The Argentinian Album’ was released in October 2014. Recently the orchestra has also recorded CDs for labels such as ECM, Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammophon.
During the last few seasons Amsterdam Sinfonietta has undertaken international tours with Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Martin Fröst. In early 2014 it joined forces with the American baritone Thomas Hampson, performing a unique song programme in twelve concert halls across Europe. Upcoming projects include a tour of Japan and concerts in the Benelux, Germany and Austria with the cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.