Biography

“Pour La Flûte de Pan, as the title suggests, we needed… a panflute player, and it was not easy to find one with classical training. Matthijs Koene proved to be the ideal choice.”
— Diapason Magazine, 2020

Widely recognised as one of the leading panflutists of his generation, Matthijs Koene has played a pioneering role in establishing the panflute within the world of classical music. Through his innovative musicianship and distinctive artistic vision, he has expanded the technical and expressive possibilities of the instrument and introduced it to new audiences and repertoire.

Koene’s repertoire spans from early Renaissance music to the most recent works of the 21st century. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, he has inspired composers across Europe to write for the panflute, resulting in hundreds of works composed especially for him. These include solo pieces, chamber music, works for panflute and organ, ensemble repertoire, and concertos. 

As a soloist, Koene has appeared at major international venues including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, De Doelen Rotterdam, and the NOSPR Concert Hall in Katowice. He is also regularly invited to leading contemporary music festivals such as November Music (Netherlands) and Donaueschinger Musiktage (Germany).

He has performed with prominent orchestras including the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Markus Stenz, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Franck Ollu, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marzena Diakun I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis, and the Combattimento Consort. As a chamber musician he collaborates with internationally renowned ensembles such as Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ictus Ensemble, Omnibus Ensemble, and Oxalys Ensemble, and he is a long-standing member of the Dutch Black Pencil Ensemble.

Koene began studying the panflute at the age of seven and later graduated with distinction from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of Panflute at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he continues to teach and mentor the next generation of musicians.

Alongside his performing career, Koene is actively involved in the development of the instrument itself. In collaboration with the organ manufacturer Flentrop, he contributed to the creation of a newly designed concert panflute developed over a two-year period. The instrument was made possible with the support of the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation, which placed it on long-term loan to the artist.

Koene’s recordings and artistic projects have received international recognition. His recording of La Flûte de Pan & Quintettes by Jean Cras, with soprano Sophie Karthäuser and Oxalys Ensemble, received the prestigious Diapason d’Or. Among other distinctions, he has been awarded the Vriendenkrans Prize of the Royal Concertgebouw, the AVRO Radio Prize, and the New Geneco Fair Practice Award with Black Pencil Ensemble.

Through his performances, recordings, and collaborations with composers, Matthijs Koene continues to redefine the role of the panflute in contemporary classical music and to establish the instrument firmly within the international concert repertoire.