Biography
Nicole van Bruggen-Harris studied modern clarinet at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music following which she was awarded the Queen's Trust Scholarship to continue her studies abroad. Nicole consequently moved to The Netherlands where she graduated from a postgraduate degree in classical clarinet and authentic performance practice with Eric Hoeprich at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague in 1997.
She is passionate about chamber music from the 18th and 19th centuries and is clarinettist in Trio Van Hengel, OSMOSIS and Kwartet André. With Trio Van Hengel she was awarded three prizes at the International Van Wassenaar Concours in 2001 and recorded a CD entitled 'Anton Eberl - Grande Sonate' under the Belgian label, Ramee in 2006. Her Mozart CD was released and in 2010 and Trio Van Hengel's third recording, 'Anton Eberl - Grand Sextetto' came out in 2011. Nicole is founder of Kwartet André, a chamber music ensemble specialising in 18th Century repertoire for clarinet and strings, with whom she was awarded a prize in 1999 in the Musica Antiqua Competition at the Flanders Festival in Bruges and released a CD entitled 'Haydn, his Mistress, their Son & his Successor'. She is also the clarinettist in the historical wind quintet, OSMOSIS, and released the Onslow and Spohr Nonets on CD with this ensemble in 2010.
Alongside these ensembles, Nicole works with a number of period instrument chamber ensembles and orchestras as a specialist in authentic clarinet, basset horn, basset clarinet and chalumeau. She is or has been principal clarinettist in Concerto Copenhagen, New Dutch Academy, Arte dei Suonatori, Australian Classical Era Orchestra, Barokopera Amsterdam and Concerto d'Amsterdam and recently performed with The Netherlands Bach Society, Tafelmusik (Canada) and Il Fondamento (Belgium). Nicole has performed solo concertos with New Dutch Academy and Arte dei Suonatori (as 'artist in residence' in the Festival of Strings and Bows in Poznan, Poland).
Nicole has recently returned to Australia with her husband and two children after living in The Netherlands for 17 years. She now lives on the Sunshine Coast.