Rick Stotijn

Double bass player Rick Stotijn is a tireless promoter of his instrument and its sheer endless possibilities. Composers such as Michel van de Aa, Ned Rorem, Martijn Padding and Jesper Nordin have risen to the occasion by writing new compositions for him, and a double concerto from Britta Byström will soon be complemented by a new one from Sally Beamish.

Rick co-founded the Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble, which builds programmes around an event, idea, or concept. The ensemble presents music from all periods and styles, from Purcell to Dylan, from Messiaen to Radiohead. Together with Bram van Sambeek, Rick founded ORBI, a ‘chamber music rock group’ that combines the improvisatory forces of bassoon, double bass, Hammond organ and percussion.

Rick is the principal double bass of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Lucerne Festival Orchestra. As guest principal, Rick plays regularly in the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Orchestra Mozart, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Rick is a regular guest at well-known international festivals. He was awarded the highest accolade to a musician in the Netherlands – the Dutch Music Prize – and is a Professor at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf.