Hester Groenleer (*1980) studied recorder at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Paul Leenhouts. She obtained both her bachelor's and master's of music degrees cum laude. She has been appointed principal subject teacher at the same institute since January 2025.

 

Her ensembles The Royal Wind Music, Seldom Sene and her duo with organist Matthias Havinga perform many concerts at festivals and venues at home and abroad, including The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Boston Early Music Festival (USA) and the Berliner Tage für alte Musik , Forum Cultural Guanajuato (Mexico) and Concert Hall Taipei (Taiwan). Hester won several prizes at competitions, including first prize at the Concours International d'Ensembles de Flûte à bec in Le Mans (FR) with Seldom Sene. In March 2011, this same quintet was unanimously awarded the Prix d'Interpretation for contemporary music at the leading International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach (FR). In 2014 she also won the first prize, the press prize and the audience prize with Seldom Sene at the International Van Wassenaer Competition of the Early Music Festival, culminating in a tour of 11 concerts through the Netherlands during the Early Music Season in February 2016. The (video) recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations won them the title 'Bach CD of the Year' in 2017 and a silver medal from the Manhattan International in 2023 Music Competition in the Baroque category. With The Royal Wind Music she was a prizewinner of the Friends Crown competition of Het Concertgebouw and Concertgebouworkest. Hester received a subsidy from the Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund to expand her collection of recorders. She received attention on national television with a solo performance for the Royal House during the baptismal service of HRH Princess Ariane of the Netherlands and a performance during the Edison Classical Gala as a tribute to Frans Brüggen. These are some highlights from her career. Hester recorded 18 CDs for Brilliant Classics, Pan Classics and Lindoro.

 

Music education is an important anchor in Hester's career. She is principal subject teacher at the Conservatory of Amsterdam for both the Bachelor and Master degrees, and at the junior department (Sweelinck Academy). She teaches The Royal Wind Music Academy to recorder students, a course about all facets of Renaissance consort playing. She is also an Entrepreneurship teacher and study coach and serves as chair of examination committees. She is regularly invited to other European conservatories for master classes. Together with colleagues, she organizes the Open Recorder Days Amsterdam, the largest recorder biennial worldwide. She worked for 10 years as a music teacher at the education department of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.