THE MONOCHROME PROJECT >members

Marco Blaauw

© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

The further development of the trumpet, its technique, and repertoire is the goal and concern of Marco Blaauw. He complements his commitment to ensemble music with solo projects in composed and improvised music and intensive collaboration with well-known and young composers of our time. As a permanent member, Marco Blaauw has been associated with the Cologne-based Ensemble Musikfabrik since 1994. Engagements as a soloist have taken him around the world. His work in ensembles and as a soloist has been documented in numerous radio and CD productions.

Christine Chapman

Christine Chapman playing a conch
© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

Christine Chapman has pursued many paths of artistic development, from intensive chamber music to large orchestral repertoire in top-flight European orchestras to numerous performances and recordings with radio big bands and smaller jazz combos.

As a member of Ensemble Musikfabrik, Chapman works directly with many of today’s most celebrated composers. Chapman brings all of her many multi-faceted experiences to the stage with the Monochrome Project, continuing her explorations and chasing her passion for contemporary performance.

Matthew Conley

© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

An active interpreter of contemporary music, trumpeter Matthew Conley frequently performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member with ensembles such as musikFabrik, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, and Basel Sinfonietta. He is a founding member of the Berlin ensemble Apparat, a brass quintet dedicated to expanding the contemporary brass repertoire, which together with Ensemble Mosaik, Ensemble Adapter, and Sonar Quartet forms Ensemblekollektiv Berlin.

Rike Huy

Rike Huy playing trumpet made up and in costume.
© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

Rike Huy studied trumpet and applied theater studies. Huy is a regular guest with Ensemble Modern, Ensemble MusikFabrik, Collegium Novum Zürich, Ensemble ascolta and Ensemble Insomnio. Since 2007, Huy has been a principal trumpet player in various orchestras and ensembles. In 2019, she toured with pop singer Peaches. Together with Lisa Charlotte Friederich, Huy produced the feature-length film LIVE under |li|ke|films. Together with Joosten Ellée, she composed the music and recorded all trumpet parts. Since 2017, Huy has been principal trumpet in the Basel Sinfonietta.

Bob Koertshuis

Bob Koertshuis playing trumpet
© Thomas Brill

Bob Koertshuis has been 1st trumpet of the Arnhem Philharmonic since 1995.

He has performed in almost all Dutch orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and all radio orchestras. He has played with world-famous conductors, including Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Mstislav Rostropovich, Eliahu Inbal, Christoph Eschenbach, and Kenichiro Kobayashi.

Bob Koertshuis was a longtime member of the Orkest de Volharding and a guest with Ensemble MusikFabrik Köln, the Asko/Schönberg Ensemble, and the Ebony Band, among others.

Nathan Plante

Nathan Plate playing trumpet made up and in costume.
© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

Through his special interest in contemporary music, Nathan Plante plays as a regular guest with Ensemble Mosaik, Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, and Ensemble Musikfabrik. He has premiered and recorded several important solo works for trumpet. In addition to his contemporary music work, Plante has participated in numerous theater productions at the Volksbühne (Berlin) and the Berliner Ensemble. In 2012 he founded “Edition Plante”, a publishing house for new music. Since 2013, Nathan has been principal trumpet of the Kammerakademie Potsdam.

Markus Schwind

Markus Schwind playing trumpet in costume
© Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker

Markus Schwind is a regular guest of leading ensembles for contemporary music such as Musikfabrik, Klangforum Wien, and Ensemble Resonanz. He has also accepted invitations from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, and the Belgian orchestra Anima Eterna, which is dedicated to historical performance practice. Numerous CD recordings document his artistic work.

Since 2003 Markus Schwind has been a member of the Stuttgart ensemble ascolta and is responsible for part of the organizational and artistic planning.

Laura Vukobratovič

© Thomas Brill

Laura Vukobratović is a much sought-after soloist and works with renowned orchestras, including the German Chamber Orchestra Berlin, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra). She also makes regular guest appearances with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the RSO Frankfurt. Her diverse repertoire ranges from 17th- and 18th-century music to modern music. Her work as a soloist is documented by numerous recordings. She has been a professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen since 2013.