Since 2008, Lars Niederstraßer, Peter Vigh, Kirstin Niederstraßer and Eva van Grinsven form the Berlage Saxophone Quartet. The ensemble plays much diversified programs, also with pieces they have arranged themselves. They have all participated in masterclasses with Claude Delangle, Daniel Gauthier, Christian Wirth, Vincent David and other renowned saxophonists. As a quartet, they took part in masterclasses from Nobuya Sugawa, JeanDenis Michat, the Parkanyi Stringquartet, Walter van Hauwe, Frans van Ruth and Bart Schneeman. In February 2009, they won the First Prize at the “Selmer Saxofoonkwartettenconcours” in Enschede (NL) and are regularly playing concerts in the Netherlands and abroad.

Lars Niederstraßer – soprano saxophone (1985) started to play the piano at the age of nine and the saxophone at the age of ten. In 2009 he finished his Bachelor degree cum laude at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Arno Bornkamp where he is now following his Master degree.  He also took lessons with Claude Delangle at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieure de Musique de Paris. In 2007 Lars played at the “Schleswig Holstein Music Festival Orchestra” under the direction of Ivan Fischer and went on tour to Armenia, Russia and Lithuania with the same orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach in 2008. In 2009 he played in the “Dutch Youth Orchestra” on tour through the Netherlands and Belgium. Furthermore, he played with “Het Gelders Orkest” and the “Essener Philharmoniker. With the German saxophone orchestra “Selmer Saxharmonic” where he is playing bass saxophone, he recorded a CD at MDG label. He won eight first prizes in the national competition “Jugend musiziert” and in 2007 he was finalist at the Yamaha Sax Contest in Hamburg. In 2009 he won a scholarship at the “German Music Competition” and is going to give concerts throughout Germany in the season 2010-2011. Lars made his Concerto debut with the “Bochumer Philharmoniker” performing the Glazunov Concerto in 2004. He also performed Milhaud’s Scaramouche and the Ballade by Tomasi with the “Braunschweiger Staatsorchester”.
Peter Vigh – alto saxophone - (1987) received his first saxophone lessons the age of 9. After studying two years with Jean Pennings in Tilburg, he is now student of Arno Bornkamp at the Amsterdam Conservatory. An exchange to Lyon (France) with JeanDenis Michat broadened his experience furthermore. Besides playing the saxophone, Peter is a composer as well. His pieces have been played by The Netherlands Windensemble, Orion ensemble, Ensemble Multifoon and many others. He was a prize winner at the Dutch competition “Princes Christina Concours” (for composition and saxophone) and he received the first prize for the VSB Music on Poetry Contest. Peter is a member of the Ricciotti Ensemble, with which he toured to the Dutch Antilles.

Kirstin Niederstraßer – tenor saxophone (1987) started to play the saxophone at the age of 9 and is now studying with Arno Bornkamp. She also is a pianist and a cellist. She won several 1st Prizes in the German national youth competition “Jugend Musiziert”. Together with her brother Lars and Jörn she formed the trio “Les trois saxophones”. They have given concerts in Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands and Slovenia and have made recordings at several German radio stations. In 2004, they won the European Youth Music Contest at Dubrovnik (Croatia). Under direction of Kurt Masur, Kirstin performed with the youth orchestra of Lower-Saxony State in Braunschweig. As a substitute, she played with Anima Eterna in Brugge (Belgium) and with ‘Selmer Saxharmonic’. In 2009, she was on tour with the Dutch National Youth Orchestra (NJO) in the Netherlands and in Belgium and in 2010 she toured with “Het Gelders Orkest” in the Netherlands. Kirstin made her solo debut in 2007 performing the “Concerto” by Alexander Glazounov accompanied by the Göttinger Symphonie Orchester under direction of Christoph Mueller.                      

Eva van Grinsven – baritone saxophone (1981) Eva van Grinsven (1981) started to play the saxophone at the age of nine and graduated cum laude at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in summer 2008. She also has been studying with Daniel Gauthier at the Conservatory of Cologne. With percussion player Ramon Lormans she forms the duo Sax & Stix, which has won some important Dutch music competitions (International chamber music Competition Almere 2007 and “Vriendenkransconcours” of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam 2008). They give concerts regularly and played at a lot of Dutch music festivals. Eva played a long time in the National Dutch Youth Wind Orchestra, with whom she performed the Concerto of Paul Creston as a soloist in some big Dutch concert halls and in Riga, Latvia. Eva has played with the Dutch Wind Ensemble (NBE) and several Dutch symphony orchestras and went with two of them on tour to China and Japan.