Dimitri van Halderen

is a classical guitarist known for his musical versatility. He enjoys playing the solo repertoire from the Renaissance to contemporary music, at times working together with composers. Aside from that he has played with violoncello, string quartet, singers and even sitar, and when no one watches (or at least, not too many people…) he loves to play jazz.

He started to play the guitar at the age of 10, receiving classical tuition but sneaking away to form a rock band with his cousins at the age of twelve. He never gave up on the classical guitar though, and meeting the Dutch classical guitarist Jan Wolf in 1991 made him decide definitively to become a professional classical guitarist. Jan Wolf became his teacher and mentor, and his philosophical approach to music left a profound influence.

Dimitri holds a degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, where he studied with both Enno Voorhorst and Zoran Dukić, and received coaching in interpretation from composer Cornelis de Bondt and oboist Bart Schneemann.

As a teacher, he has taught at all levels, and as a chamber music teacher, although specialized in groups with guitar, he has taught all kinds of chamber groups, from piano trio to clarinet quintet.

Currently he is chamber music teacher and head of studies at the Conservatory of Music in Salamanca, Spain (Conservatorio Superior de Música de Salamanca). He also teaches a summercourse in Siguenza (Guadalajara, Spain). He has contributed an article on guitar technique to Soundboard magazine and was invited to present a paper during the launch of the International Guitar Research Centre in the University of Surrey (UK).

His CD of romantic guitar music can be heard online on the website of www.playclassics.com.