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Arthur Schoonderwoerd is an important member of the group of Dutch historical keyboardists who came of age in the 1990s, with a large catalog of recordings. He is also a longtime faculty member at the Conservatory of Barcelona.
Schoonderwoerd was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1966. He attended the Utrecht Music Academy, studying with Herman Uhlhorn and
Alexander Warenberg, and taking classes in a wide variety of fields that included concerto performance, chamber music, music education, and musicology. His career has entailed the rediscovery of obscure works as well as the performance of well-established ones. After graduating in 1993,
Schoonderwoerd moved on to the Conservatoire de Paris for studies with
Jos van Immerseel, mastering a variety of historical keyboard instruments. He has been known for performances on fortepiano, harpsichord, and clavichord. A series of prizes, including a Juventus Laureate designation from the Council of Europe and a best individual performance nod at the Van Wassenaer International Competition for early music ensembles, both in 1996, launched his performing career. He has performed frequently in Belgium, Germany, and Italy, in addition to the Netherlands.
Schoonderwoerd formed the
Cristofori Ensemble, named after the inventor of the piano, for the investigation of early piano-based chamber music, and he has appeared with such singers as
Johannette Zomer,
Hans Jörg Mammel, and
Sandrine Piau. His chamber music performances have included duo work with
Jaap ter Linden,
Barthold Kuijken, and
Wilbert Hazelzet, among others.
Schoonderwoerd has taught keyboard and chamber music at the Conservatory of Barcelona since 2004.
Schoonderwoerd is notable for the depth of his recording catalog, which dates back to a 1999 release featuring keyboard music by Johann Gottfried Eckard. He has recorded mostly for the Alpha and Accent labels, issuing a series of
Mozart piano concerto performances and also a recording of the
Mozart Requiem in D minor, K. 626, with the
Cristofori Ensemble on Accent. In 2021,
Schoonderwoerd moved to the CAvi-Music label, leading the
Cristofori Ensemble as conductor in a small-group performance of
Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ("Eroica").