Robert de Bree is a recorder player, oboist, teacher and improviser. He teaches historical improvisation at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and taught workshops at the University of Texas (Austin), Liszt Academy Budapest, Mexico city and in other conservatories around Europe.
Robert taught and performed at the two biggest European improvisation festivals for classical music (Festival de la Musique Improvisée de Lausanne and EXTEMPORE Leipziger Improvisationsfestival für Alte Musik). The former funded a year of improvisation research into partimento for monodic instruments. Inspired by this on-going research Robert taught at the MentiParti summer course in Basel and was invited to teach and /or perform for example at the conferences Improvisation in Historical Styles: Performance, Pedagogy, and Research (Cedarville University) and Partimento -Realising its Potential (MDW, Vienna).
As a co-founder of The Scroll Ensemble he has performed entirely improvised concerts for the last 15 years. Inspired by ensemble improvisation in the past they experiment, extrapolate and invent in styles from Medieval to Baroque to Beethoven to just yesterday. Theatre, audience interaction, participation and cross-disciplinary elements make each concert an adventure. On their YouTube channel they share tutorials, history and performances to inspire everyone to improvise in classical music.
Within OHM(Open House Music) he experiments with composing and arranging music in a variety of styles for early music chamber ensemble.
Robert performed and recorded with well-known orchestras and ensembles such as Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra (Sir John Eliot Gardiner), Ensemble Pygmalion, L’Arpeggiata, Concerto Köln, Budapest Festival Orchestra and under the baton of Ton Koopman, Richard Egarr, John Butt, Reinhard Goebel and many more of his favourite artists and ensembles.