Walewein Witten | fortepiano
Walewein Witten is a Dutch harpsichordist, pianist and conductor, currently living in Berlin. He studied harpsichord and fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, with Ton Koopman, Jacques Ogg, and Stanley Hoogland, and specialised in contemporary harpsichord music with Annelie de Man in Amsterdam.
He then went to Barcelona to study modern piano with Carmen Vilà, while working as musical assistant at the Liceu Opera House. Back in Holland, he was awarded a Masters degree in piano at the Academy of Arts in Utrecht, studying with Alexander Warenberg.
Walewein Witten has worked for many years as a harpsichordist and pianist, both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles and orchestras. His repertoire encompasses everything from the early-Baroque to contemporary music, and he has worked with conductors such as Konrad Junghänel, William Christie, Ton Koopman, Andrew Manze, Sigiswald Kuijken and Martin Gester. As a soloist, his repertoire includes Beethoven’s third and fourth piano concertos, Poulenc’s Concert champêtre for harpsichord, and both the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos, as well as many of the harpsichord and fortepiano concertos by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, directing from the keyboard.
Besides his work as a keyboard player, Walewein Witten works as a musical assistant and conductor for opera. In Germany he has worked at the Komische Oper Berlin, the Düsseldorf Rheinoper, and the Kassel and Dortmund opera houses, and for Summer festivals such as Rheinberg Chamber Opera, Alden Biesen Summer Opera (Belgium) and Dartington Festival (UK).