Recorder31 Day 4 | Side-By-Side Interview: Erik Bosgraaf & Olivia Petryszak

For today's Recorder31 feature, we're thrilled to introduce the first of a series of interviews where two recorder players are paired up for a chat about their careers. These 'Side-By-Side' interviews will cover a range of recorder-related topics including studying the recorder, its presence in the online world, and using it in different genres of music.

Today we're joined by international recorder soloist Erik Bosgraaf, who has recently been appointed the Artistic Director of the London International Festival of Early Music. Talking with him is Olivia Petryszak, British-Polish recorder player who has recently finished her masters degree in Krakow with Erik himself. They talk about Erik's vision for LIFEM, the experience of studying and teaching at conservatoire level, and the impact of self-doubt and imposter syndrome on a career in music.

Listen here:

About the artists

Erik Bosgraaf is generally considered to be one of the world’s most virtuosic recorder players, and certainly the most adventurous. To Erik, his instrument is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, with endless possibilities. He improvises, plays jazz, utilises electronics and likes working with people in other areas of artistic endeavour such as cinematography. His repertoire extends from medieval music to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to tomorrow’s music. For Erik there is no fundamental difference between historical and contemporary repertoire. He is of the opinion that ‘early music is always new’. Erik is a visiting professor at the Krakow Music Academy in Poland, and is the Artistic Director of the London International Festival of Early Music. www.erikbosgraaf.com

Olivia Petryszak was born and raised in the UK and currently resides between London, UK and Kraków, Poland. A graduate of bachelors from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she received a 1st Class Honours Bachelors degree in 2022 with added Concert Recital Diploma award for outstanding performance, Olivia also spent 2 years studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and recently finished a masters at the Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie in Poland. Olivia has won several prizes for her playing across Europe, most recently the first prize for the ensemble category at the Open Recorder Days Amsterdam competition 2023. Through a heavily creative musical upbringing, creativity and flexibility remains present and highly important in Olivia’s playing, and her musical spontaneity has helped to create a highly distinctive and unique style. www.oliviapetryszak.com

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The Sound of Recorder Music!

On the final day of our Top-Notch Tenors promotion, we're listening to one of the more affordable options from our range. Finished in high-quality plastic, the Aulos Symphony 511B is a popular option for those branching out to playing tenor for the first time. Listen to the clips below or follow this link to find out more about this instrument.