George van Dam

George van Dam is a violinist, composer and harpsichordist. As a violinist he has worked with several leading composers of today – and frequently with contemporary-music ensembles such as the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, MusikFabrik, Ebony Trio, Spectra and Ictus, of which he is one of the founding members.

Being quite active in the dance – and theatre world, he has appeared as a soloist in the productions Rosa, Achterland, Kinok and Partita2 by Rosas/Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and in Die Siel van die Mier, Escorial e.a. by Josse De Pauw (Muziek LOD, Transparant) as a pianist in Trio in Mi-Bémol (Mozart) by Jan Ritsema (Kaaitheater) and with Ultima Vez/Wim Vandekeybus.

His own compositions include song cycles, chamber music, a concerto for violin and timbila-orchestra (GP Drumming Porto), music for film (Joseph Plateau Prize 2005), theatre/ dance performances, music for choir (Collegium Vocale, Soloists of the Monnaie Academy) and works with visual artists Manon de Boer, Angela Bulloch, Trudo Engels, Ana Torfs e.a.

In 2012, he resumed his activities as harpsichordist having studied with Robert Kohnen, Ketil Haugsand, Johan Pieterse, Bob van Asperen and Elisabeth Joyé in masterclasses at the Piccola Accademia in Montisi and Utrecht.
Recent projects include the theatre productions War and Turpentine by Jan Lauwers/Needcompany in which he appeared as a soldier-violinist, and in the 2019-2020 season, Goldberg Variations on the harpsichord (with the musician-performer Simon Lenski), Probabilities of Independent Events by Grace Ellen Barkey/Needcompany and House of Our Fathers/Mothers of Inventions by Jan Lauwers/Needcompany, as keyboard-player and violinist.
He has taught at the Conservatory in Liège (Belgium), at the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music (Germany), Akiyoshidai Seminar, Japan and currently teaches a post-graduate course in contemporary violin at the Conservatory in Ghent, Belgium.

George van Dam studied the violin with Georges Octors, Jacques Israelievitch e.a. and in master-classes with Dorothy DeLay, Zinaïda Gilels, Albert Markov, Aaron Rosand and Rainer Kussmaul.

Website: georgevandam.com