We are an international ensemble of musicians performing repertoire from the golden age of polyphony on an extraordinary collection of Renaissance recorders. Together, we are The Royal Wind Music.
Founded in 1997 by Paul Leenhouts, our ensemble has captivated audiences around the world with both vocal and instrumental music. We play entirely from memory and, since 2010, without a conductor or external artistic director, allowing us to connect more freely with each other and with our audiences. Our aim is to bring Renaissance music to life in a way that feels fresh, direct, and engaging.
All members are former students of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, sharing a deep commitment to musical exploration and collaboration. Our unique collection of instruments was crafted by Adriana Breukink (The Netherlands), Bob Marvin (Canada), and Monika Musch (Germany), modeled on original instruments from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. These recorders range from a tiny 15 cm sopranino to an impressive sub-contrabass nearly three metres long, designed in 1998 by Adriana Breukink, Winfried Hackl, and Paul Leenhouts according to Renaissance principles.
Over the years, we have performed in major concert halls across Europe, the United States, and Mexico. In the Netherlands, our concerts have taken us to Het Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam, the Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht, and De Doelen in Rotterdam. Internationally, we have appeared at festivals such as Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, Berliner Tage für Alte Musik, the London International Festival of Early Music, and the Boston Early Music Festival. Our live performances and recordings have been broadcast worldwide, including Dutch national television.
We have released eleven CDs on the Lindoro and Pan Classics labels, most recently The Orpheus of Amsterdam (Pan Classics, 2024). Across our recordings, we explore the richness and variety of Renaissance music from England, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Flanders — occasionally stepping into Baroque and contemporary sound worlds.
Stephanie Brandt
Stephanie is a passionate musician and versatile recorder player, specialising in chamber music. Her diverse musical portfolio includes the recorder quintet Seldom Sene, the Renaissance consort The Royal Wind Music, and Duo Voyager with guitarist Marion Schaap. Her dedication to musical education is clear in her teaching at CKV Almere, where she offers lessons and ensemble coaching for all levels and abilities. She also teaches young talented recorder students at the Stichting Muziektalent Almere foundation. Her innovative “SkillPlay” series creates engaging educational tools for musicians. A founding member of ORDA and former Blokfluitist board member, she supports the recorder community.
Francesca Clements
Francesca Clements (b. 1987, Ipswich) is a recorder player based in the Netherlands who has performed widely across Europe and the United States. She graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with First Class Honours in 2009, followed by a Master’s with Distinction in 2010, and later completed a specialised Master’s in Live Electronics at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in 2016. Francesca performs regularly with The Royal Wind Music and contemporary ensemble Finisterre. Alongside her performing and teaching work at CKV Almere, she is active as a freelance producer, collaborating with Het Muziek, Oranjewoud Festival, Holland Festival, ORDA, Prix Annelie de Man and MusicTalent Almere.
Kristy van Dijk
Kristy van Dijk is an all-round recorder player active in both early and contemporary music. She performs with The Royal Wind Music, Duo Helia – with lutenist Manou Schreiner –, and mōbilis mōbile, an ensemble of six recorder players focusing on both historical and modern repertoire. She also forms a modern and experimental recorder duo with Paul Schauenburg.
Kristy obtained her Bachelor’s degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and her Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, where she studied with Daniël Brüggen, Jorge Isaac, and Erik Bosgraaf. Alongside her performing career, she teaches recorder with great enthusiasm at the Collectief Muziekonderwijs Abcoude and FluXus Zaandam.
Hester Groenleer
Hester Groenleer studied recorder with Paul Leenhouts at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, graduating cum laudewith both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Since January 2025 she has been principal subject teacher there, mentoring the next generation of recorder players. As artistic leader of The Royal Wind Music, she also performs with Seldom Sene and in duo with organist Matthias Havinga, appearing at major festivals and renowned venues worldwide. Her acclaimed discography includes eighteen recordings, notably J.S. Bach – Goldberg Variations. Education is central to her work; she leads seminars across Europe and co-organises the Open Recorder Days Amsterdam.
Marco Magalhães
Marco Magalhães studied at the Conservatório de Música do Porto, the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He has performed with ensembles and orchestras including Capela Real de Lisboa, A Imagem de Melancolia, Il Dolcimelo, Concertus Antiquus, Sete Lágrimas, The Royal Wind Music, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, the Luthers Bach Ensemble, and Prime Ensemble. His concerts have taken him across Europe and the United States, appearing in renowned halls such as Casa da Música, the Concertgebouw, the Muziekgebouw, and Jordan Hall. He has recorded for Murecords, Phonedition, Lindoro, and Challenge Classics. Since 2010, he has also worked as a recorder maker.
Juho Myllylä
Juho Myllylä is a recorder player and versatile musician. He studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jorge Isaac, and works next to The Royal Wind Music among others with Ensemble Gamut!.
Juho feels passionate about medieval and renaissance music, yet is especially interested in the recorders’ countless possibilities in contemporary music. Working actively with composers, Juho released a solo album Herder’s Herd featuring new works for recorders and electronics in 2025. Jazz, fusion, prog, live electronic and film music are an integral part of his musical landscape, and here, too, in his hands the possibilities of the recorder appear endless.
Filipa Margarida Pereira
Filipa Margarida Pereira began her musical journey at the age of four in Tomar, Portugal. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2005 from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, studying recorder with Pedro Couto Soares. She later continued at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Paul Leenhouts and graduating in 2009, before completing a baroque bassoon degree with Benny Aghassi in 2011. A member of The Royal Wind Music since 2006, Filipa performs widely with baroque ensembles and orchestras. Dedicated to education, she teaches recorder and leads children’s choirs in several Amsterdam and Purmerend music schools.
Paul J.W. Schauenburg
Paul J.W. Schauenburg is an Amsterdam-based recorder player and composer who studied recorder and composition at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Aside from playing renaissance music with The Royal Wind Music and other ensembles, Paul is primarily active as a composer and performer of new music, ranging from solo works of Minimal Music for recorder and often live electronics to experimental music on newly built hybrid instruments, and as a performer of Javanese gamelan music.
Daniel Scott
Daniel is a recorder and early keyboard player based in Amsterdam, specialising in medieval and Renaissance music. He explores the intersection of medieval music, queer studies, and embodied research through diverse performance contexts. In 2022, he became the first early musician to win The Royal Overseas League Solo Wind, Brass & Percussion Competition and was a finalist in the 2021 Moeck/SRP Recorder Competition. Daniel performs with The Royal Wind Music, and is founding member and artistic director of Rune, and leads Ymnus, a project on medieval music. He teaches recorder at Scholen in de Kunst and offers private lessons in recorder, flute, harpsichord, piano, and music theory.
Irene Sorozábal Moreno
Irene Sorozábal (1996) is a Spanish singer and recorder player based in Amsterdam. Educated in historical performance practice and contemporary classical music, she regularly performs with ensembles like Cappella Amsterdam, Nederlands Kamerkoor and the Royal Wind Music. She enjoys singing and playing contemporary works written in close collaboration with composers. Her original work stems from her interest in the body and the voice often employing an interdisciplinary focus and exploring unique combinations of musical genres like traditional music, contemporary jazz, experimental performance and free improvisation.
Anna Stegmann
Anna Stegmann is a performer and teacher inspired by both early and contemporary music. At the Royal Academy of Music in London, she mentors the next generation of recorder players while performing and teaching internationally. She plays with Ensemble Odyssee and The Royal Wind Music, and appears with La Risonanza and L’Arpeggiata. With violinist Jorge Jiménez, she creates programmes where centuries meet in sound. Since 2013, Anna has helped shape Open Recorder Days Amsterdam and founded a digital recital series, bringing music directly to audiences worldwide.
