Karlien Bartels

Karlien started her studies in the Young Talent Class at the Prince Claus Conservatoire, She continued her studies in Paris with Michel Strauss and Guillaume Paoletti at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and obtained her Master's Degree with a 'Premier Prix'. She obtained a Post Graduate Degree as well from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. 

She won first prizes at the Prinses Christina Competition, the Young Music Talent Foundation and was admitted at an early age to the 'Facilities for Excellent Young Musicians', a special program for Holland's most talented young musicians financed by the Dutch Government. She was awarded with scholarships from the VSB Foundation, Prins Bernhard Foundation and the prestigious Huygens Grant. 

Her career brought her to perform in most European countries, in Japan and the USA, for example the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Reduta concert hall in Bratislava, the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam and performed in most of Paris' major concert halls such as Salle Pleyel, Cité de la Musique, Invalides, Opéra Comique. She was invited at numerous festivals such as Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Richelieu, the International Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog, Kraków Cello Spring etc. A very avid and passionate chamber musician, Karlien has been a (founding) member of many successful chamber groups such as the Isis Quartet, the Paris-based Trio Lehmann, as well as the french Ensemble Eria and the Gaugin Ensemble.

She plays regularly in several reknown orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National d'Ile de France, and as co-soloist in the National Orchestra of Belgium.

Since 2012 she holds a teaching position at the ArtEZ Conservatoire in The Netherlands, and is regularly invited to teach masterclasses in Poland, France and Spain.