About
Us.

Sebastiaan Kemner (trombone) and Andrea Vasi (piano) form a remarkably dynamic duo, and always combine artisticity with musicological research. Their concert programs are  spectacular, developed around a certain narrative, which is being developed to its fullest extent. Their unusual combination of instruments, high technical levels and radiant personalities make sure you’ll experience something never to forget. Whether it’s on historical instruments, with electronics, multimedia or poetry, the Kemner/Vasi duo always surprises in unusual ways. They perform all over the world, are currently based in The Hague (The Netherlands), and are always ready for the next adventure.

Andrea Vasi

Andrea Vasi (1989) is a pianist and teacher of Dutch-Romanian descent. She is a passionate musician, a teacher of both music and primary schools, and a Buddhist, currently based in The Hague, the Netherlands. 

At the age of ten, she was admitted to the Young Talent Program of the Royal Conservatoire, where she completed her high school education (VWO). After that, she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with distinction, under the guidance of prof. Ellen Corver. At the time, she was also taking lessons at the Royal Academy of Music in London with prof. Pascal Nemirovski.

She has won numerous competitions including the Princess Christina Competition (with Sumire Hara, violin), the Steinway Competition (solo), and the International Vocal Competition (with Ellen Valkenburg, soprano). Together with her duo partner, Sebastiaan Kemner, she was a finalist in the Dutch Classical Talent project , and they subsequently performed in such halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Theo Verbey dedicated his piece, ‘Ballade,’ to them and their unusual combination of instruments

Vasi is still active as a soloist, a chamber musician, and a member of various ensembles and orchestras, including Asko|Schoenberg, (who were nominated for a  Grammy Award) and the Residentie Orchestra. Her concert tours have brought her to the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the USA (including Carnegie Hall), as well as Canada, Argentina, India and South Africa. Many of these performances were broadcast on radio, television, or both. She was a special guest during the Gergiev Festival, and played the music of Steve Reich at the Lowlands Festival with the composer in attendance.  

She was also the Young Artist in Residence at the National Youth Orchestra summer festival in the Netherlands in 2014  Besides her classical work, she has also participated in numerous theatre productions 

At the age of 20, Ms. Vasi travelled to India for the first time. It was a life-changing experience. Ever since then, she has volunteered many hours in orphanages, teaching karate and music in their primary and secondary schools. She also spent a year teaching music in Bhutan. Andrea always aims to combine her work with her practice of Buddhism, be that in a formal setting (such as in a nunnery in Dharamsala) or a non-formal  one. 

She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree in The Hague, because, although she has worked with children for many years, she would like to deepen her understanding of didactics and pedagogy. She also does a Buddhist studies Master at the University of South Wales. She is a piano coach at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, and works in various primary and music schools. In the evenings, Ms. Vasi can often be found on stage.

 

Sebastiaan Kemner

Trombonist Sebastiaan Kemner is always looking to acquaint audiences with the beauty and versatility of his instrument. He travels to all the corners of the world to perform as a soloist and chamber musician, and to give masterclasses. He enjoys engaging in unexpected, often boundary crossing, collaborations, which lead to exciting new concert programmes. As an orchestral musician he played extensively with internationally renowned orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. In 2018 Sebastiaan was appointed Professor of Trombone at the Royal Conservatory in The Netherlands. Collaborations with composers are an important part of the continuous search for new repertoire. Many new pieces have been written for Sebastiaan, for instance by Mike Svoboda, Theo Verbey, Nicholas Moroz, Jake Landau and Milika Kishino. Furthermore, Sebastiaan is always arranging existing repertoire, and searching for forgotten music. The concert programmes that emanate from this are often praised for their originality and unity, and for bringing out the lyrical side of the trombone. The singing approach to his instrument was also well received by the members of the jury of the DutchYoung Musician of the Year Award, which Sebastiaan won in 2010. He also won numerous first prizes at renowned international competitions, amongst others in New York (International Trombone Association) and Düsseldorf (Aeolus Wind Competition). Sebastiaan always continues to develop himself as a musician, and in order to explore the academic side of his profession further he obtained a master’s degree in musicology from the University of Oxford in 2019, and is currently working on his PhD. Before that, he was part of the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker, and in 2015 he finished his master studies with the highest distinction at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where he studied with Jörgen van Rijen, Pierre Volders and Remko de Jager. Next to the intensive collaboration with his duo partner, pianist Andrea Vasi, Sebastiaan is a member of musical collective Ludwig (winning a Gammy Award for their first CD Crazy Girl Crazy), and of the New Trombone Collective, which also organises the biennial European Trombone Festival Slide Factory.

De Stichting KemnerVasi

Kemner Vasi is een bij de KVK ingeschreven stichting. 

KVK nummer: 
82639922

Bestuur:
Miranda van Drie (voorzitter)
Wim Vos
Aat Seger (secretaris en penningmeester) 

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