Dutch violinist Eva Stegeman stands out through her striking versatility both as a musician and festival director.
As a soloist she performs with ensembles and orchestra's in Holland and abroad and as an international chamber orchestra director and concertmaster she is much in demand. She is founder and artistic director of the ‘Classical Encounters’ chamber music festival (formerly International Chamber Music Festival in The Hague), a festival that is much acclaimed for its high artistic quality and innovative programming. Her repertoire reaches from the early baroque to contemporary music as involves a wide range of musical styles. Stegeman is professor of chamber music at the conservatories of The Hague and Rotterdam.
Stegeman was first concertmaster of Sinfonia Rotterdam from 2007 – 2012 and presently she is first concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss (Düsseldorf) as well as the Nootstroom Orchestra Friesland. Stegeman was primarius of the Doelen Ensemble from 2013 - 2016 (contemporary repertoire). With the European Union Chamber Orchestra, she has worked as a director (leading from the first chair) since 2003.
Stegeman appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Orfeo Orchester Budapest, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, the Bielefelder Symphoniker, Sinfonia Rotterdam and Nootstroom Orchestra Friesland. In 2007, Stegeman lead and directed a series of full-staged performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Thansau, Germany.
As concertmaster and director, she frequently makes guest appearances with orchestras such as the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Orkest van het Oosten, Casco Phil (Belgische Kamerfilharmonie), the Radio Kamer Filharmonie and the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra (South-Korea).
As a chamber music player Stegeman is much in demand. With the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam a close-knit ensemble specialising in music from 1600-1800, she has toured Europe, Japan, Mexico and South-America, and has taken part in many CD recordings as well as numerous radio broadcasts (2002-2011). As the founding violinist of the Cristofori Piano Quartet she recorded piano quartets by Schumann and Beethoven. With the Leupold Trio (2003-2012) she recorded a CD with Italian baroque repertoire for the label Challenge Records. With actor/musicologist Huib Ramaer and pianist Tobias Borsboom she develops story-telling programmes such as about the musical friendship of Edvard Grieg en Julius Röntgen and the adventurous musical life of the Swedish violinist and composer Amanda Maier.
Stegeman is founder (2003) and artistic director of the annual international chamber music festival ‘Classical Encounters’ in The Hague. Under her direction the festival has established a reputation of high artistic quality, innovative programming combined with a uniquely personal approach of the public. The festival celebrated its 15-year jubilee in 2018 at which occasion Stegeman was awarded with the prestigious ‘Stadspenning’ of the city of The Hague for her significant and unique contribution to the cultural scene of The Hague.
Outside Holland, Stegeman has been invited to perform and give masterclasses at numerous international chamber music festivals such as in Germany (Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Fränkische Musiktage, Rheingau Musik Festival and festivo/Aschau in Chiemgau), Italy (Spoleto, Festival Emiglia Romagna, Ravello Festival), France (Festival Bach en Combrailles), England (the Bath Music Festival, Exeter Music Festival), Estonia (Tallinn - Glasperlenspiel) and Belgium (Festival de Wallonie and Flanders Festival). In the Netherlands she is a regular guest at festivals such as Wonderfeel, the Gergiev Festival Rotterdam, the Peter de Grote Festival Groningen, the Hortus Festival and the Grachtenfestival Amsterdam. She also appeared at jazz-festivals such as the Bologna Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Rotterdam with American jazz legend Steve Coleman.
Since 2016, Stegeman is professor of chamber music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and Codarts in Rotterdam. As a jury member she worked for the Josef Micka Violin Competition (Prague), the Prinses Christina Concours and Het Nederlands Vioolconcours (Netherlands).
Stegeman studied with Davina van Wely at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where she was awarded the M. Warsaw Chamber Music Award. In 1995 she was the 2nd prize winner at the National Oskar Back violin competition, performing the Beethoven concerto at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has taken part in international seminars with great pedagogues such as György Sebök, Wiktor Liberman, Herman Krebbers, Boris Belkin and Lorrand Fenyves. Stegeman plays a G.B. Rogeri (Brescia) violin from around 1680.