An Raskin plays the ‘bajan’, a variant of the button accordion which developed into a fully established concert instrument from its origins in Russian folk culture. She is a musician who, from a great interest in discovering new contemporary music, has dedicated herself to giving the bajan a solistic place in current concert life. Numerous compositions have been dedicated to her, and she has performed more than 100 premieres.

She originally studied accordion at the Dutch conservatoires in Tilburg and Groningen. She later completed her studies in Moscow at the State Academy for music, the GNESIN-academy’, as assistent of the famous bajan player and teacher Friedrich Lips. At the Royal Conservatoire she obtained the second phase diploma in chamber music.

Both as a soloist and as a chamber musician she has performed in most European countries, the U.S.A. (New York) and Japan (Osaka). As a soloist she has performed with ensemble such as the ASKO/Schönberg Ensemble,  the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the Spectra-ensemble, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the Münchener Kammerorchester, and with conductors such as Reinbert de Leeuw, Peter Rundell, and Emilio Pomarico.

Musical partners have included Pieter Wispelwey, with whom after a series of concerts she made a CD recording with the music of Sofia Gubaidulina, which was awarded a ‘Diapason d’Or’ (Label: Channel Classics). With the American viola player Kim Kashkashian she gave in 2007 the world première of the het work ‘Neharot, Neharot…’, for viola, bajan and strings by the composer B. Olivero. In February 2008 she played the American première in New York, and further in March 2008 with Kim Kashkashian and the Munchener Kammerorchester in Austria, Germany and Turkey, after which also followed a recording for the label ECM ‘NEW SERIES’.

Together with viola player Bram Bossier she founded in 2005 the ensemble ‘Agartha’; Agartha has as its aim to find a balance between the classical world and contemporary culture through new compositions, by exploring the common elements between various artistic disciplines, …  This has translated into performances at the Festival van Vlaanderen, November Music, the KLARA-festival and others, and in a self-produced music theatre performance ‘PETROESJKA’,...