Alida Schat

Alida Schat received her Bachelor of Music at the Conservatory of Utrecht, studying the modern violin with Viktor Liberman, Philipp Hirschhorn and Keiko Wataya. After graduating with Honours she has led a very diverse and successful career performing and recording with orchestras and chamber groups throughout the world. These include the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sinfonetta Amsterdam, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Orchestra of the 18th Century and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique. She has worked with many of the world’s leading conductors, among them Frans Brüggen, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Valeri Gergiev, Simon Rattle and Charles Dutoit. Alida has also played with many new music ensembles including Asko, Schönberg and KNM Berlin.
Her interest in historical performance practice led her to the baroque and classical violins. She is frequently asked to guest-lead numerous orchestras such as The English Concert, Anima Eterna, the Kings Consort and The English Baroque Soloists. She was concertmaster (2001-2004) of The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra (Ton Koopman), recording multiple CD’s, including the Matthew Passion. As the first, founding violinist of The Amsterdam String Quartet she recorded two Haydn CD’s. She was leader of the Catherijne Consort (also playing solo concertos) and the Sinuet Ensemble.
Currently Alida is concertmaster of The Metropole Orchestra, and in the coming season will be directing Dido and Aeneas with the VIBE ensemble in Malta.