Liselotte Rokyta

After a two year study with the panflutist Damian Luca, Liselotte Rokyta studied to play the panflute at the Academy of Music in Hilversum and the Academy of Arts in Amsterdam with the internationally renowned Romanian panflute-player Nicolae Pîrvu. She took master classes with Gheorghe Zamfir and Simion Stanciu and regularly travelled to Romania to familiarise herself with the authentic Romanian style of playing. Liselotte is seen as one of the important non-Romanian performers who master the Romanian style. From 1994 – 1998 Liselotte studied Romanian philology at the University of Amsterdam. Because of her studies she lived in Maramureş (North Romania) for a three month period, where she investigated the (until now rather unknown) vocal form called “Hora cu noduri”. The experiences she gained in those months still inspire her while performing. Liselotte works closely together with the Dutch-Canadian organist André Knevel with whom she performs in approximate 50 concerts yearly in the Netherlands, Canada and the United States. In Europe Liselotte often performs with the well-known organists Martin Mans (the Netherlands) and Jaroslav Tůma (Czech Republic) and her concerts brought her to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland and South-Africa. Next to that she forms a cimbalom/panflute duo with her husband Jan Rokyta. Together they offer a programme that combines classical music with world music. “Syrinx” and “Claire the Lune” of Claude Debussy as well as arranged music of Béla Bartók form their main repertoire. As a performing artist Liselotte is attached to the company STH-RECORDS. As a teacher she has gained a lot of experience through her posts at the Academy of Music in Zwolle and Tilburg and the Bourdon Higher vocational education of Music (a music academy). From 2007 she has started her private education practice in The Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Canada. From 2002 Liselotte teaches classes at the “Summer School of Early Music” in Prachatice (Czech Republic). Besides her instrumental abilities is Liselotte also a supreme speaker and presenter of many concerts.