When this is then combined with a superior recorder virtuoso of the likes of Carin van Heerden it is utter bliss[…] Hearing the lightness and litheness of her playing and that of her ensemble, presenting this mixture of French and Italian elements, the listener can’t but bow down in reverence.
Klassik Heute, Christof Jetzschke
Carin van Heerden was born in Cape Town (South Africa). She studied the recorder with Günther Höller and Walter van Hauwe and the baroque oboe with Helmut Hucke. She won various international music competitions, among them the renowned international ARD competition in Munich (1988). Carin van Heerden is co-founder of the Austrian L’Orfeo Barockorchester, directed by Michi Gaigg, and works with this orchestra (also as soloist) in Europe and South Africa. She also worked with various other ensembles and orchestras conducted by Ton Koopman, Alan Curtis, Konrad Junghänel und Hermann Max. As a chamber musician she directs the L’Orfeo Wind Ensemble and is a member of the recorder consort Element of Prime.
Solo CD’s of her playing have been released by cpo (Telemann and Myslivecek), Cavalli Records (Hotteterre) and Sony (Telemann).
She was professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg from 1993-2004 and subsequently at the Cologne Musikhochschule until 2008. At present she teaches the baroque oboe and recorder at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz and headed the Institute for Early Music and Performance Practice there for the past 10 years. She is often invited as member of the jury at international competitions for Early Music and for master classes internationally.
She is the artistic director of Early Music concerts at the Linz Castle and is the German translator of Bruce Haynes’ „Eloquent Oboe“.