One of the pioneers of early music, Jaap ter Linden witnessed the very beginnings of many of the oldest and finest baroque ensembles as principal cellist of Musica Antiqua Köln, The English Concert and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. From these auspicious beginnings, he moved further into the spotlight, either playing solo concerts and intimate ensemble repertoires with the world’s finest interpreters or at the helm of an orchestra as conductor.
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He founded and directs the Mozart Akademie (with which he has recorded the complete Mozart symphonies) and is a regular guest director and soloist with the Arion Ensemble (Canada). He has led many period orchestras, notably Boston Handel & Haydn Society, Tafelmusik, San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque, Concerto Köln and Portland Baroque. He has lent his expertise to modern ensembles such as Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the Arnhem Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the Münster Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, Jaap has dived into the world of opera, conducting Purcell’s King Arthur and his Dido & Aeneas (with the Opera de Bordeaux) and Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide.
Renowned for his interpretations of Bach’s Cello Suites, Ter Linden has made several solo visits to the USA and Japan. In 2009, Ter Linden was Artist in Residence at the Bodenseefestival, Germany, where he conducted concerts with Violinist Daniel Hope, Concerto Köln and the Letland State Choir and appeared in recitals with Midori Seiler, Violin, and Jos Van Immerseel, Fortepiano. In other recent projects, Jaap collaborated with Arion Montréal, Tafelmusik Toronto, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Wroclaw Filharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
Ter Linden’s extensive discography as player and conductor boasts many award-winning recordings for labels such as Harmonia Mundi, Archiv, ECM, Deutsche Grammophon and Brilliant Classics. In 2006, Jaap released his second recording of the Bach Cello Suites.
The Orchestra 
