About Wouter

Historical bassoonist Wouter Verschuren regularly performs throughout Europe and the U.S.A. and is at home with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the Romantic. He is principal bassoonist of The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra conducted by Ton Koopman, and regularly plays with other renowned period orchestras such as The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Netherlands Bach Society, La Petite Bande, The Academy of Ancient Music and many others.

Wouter regularly appears as a soloist, plays in numerous international chamber music ensembles, and is a founding member of Caecilia-Concert and Ensemble De La Borde. Specializing in performance and research of 16th—and 17th-century music and later repertoire, he regularly appears in Europe, Asia and the US with the harpsichordist and fortepianist Kathryn Cok. Their world premiere recording of unknown Sonatas by Nikolaus von Krufft by Challenge Records was enthusiastically received by the international press. His latest solo recording is titled The Elegant Bassoon and features chamber music with a virtuosic role for the bassoon. 
He can be heard on countless other orchestral and chamber music CDs on labels such as Sony, Alpha, Erato, and Antoine Marchand. Wouter participated in the recording of the complete Bach and Buxtehude Cantatas with The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

In addition to his positions at the Royal College of Music, London, and the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, Wouter gives master classes in Europe, the USA, and the Middle East and coaches for festivals such as the Amherst Early Music Festival, San Francisco Early Music Society (USA), and Tage der alte Musik in Hof (Germany).

Wouter was awarded a PhD from the Royal College of Music, London, entitled Giants of the dulcian family, with the primary aim of rediscovering forgotten repertoire for dulcian and (historical) bassoon. 

Wouter’s contributions to the field of historical bassoon performance and research extend beyond his performances and teaching. He is a prolific writer, with titles such as Bassus, a guide to 16th—and 17th-century music for the dulcian and other bass instruments, Giants of the Dulcian Family, and most recently, The Baroque Bassoon Book. His articles on bassoon-related topics are regularly published in journals such as The Double Reed, the Journal of the International Double Reed Society.

Fascinated by the instruments he researches and performs on, Wouter has been making and selling bocals for historical bassoons and builds shawms.