Irene Kalisvaart was awarded the highest prize at the National Competition for Young Guitarists in Amsterdam at the age of seventeen. She studied with Jorge Oraison in Rotterdam, and continued with Ansgar Krause and Hubert Käppel at the Musikhochschule Köln where she finished her studies with distinction. She then went on to complete the “Concert exam” with Hubert Käppel in 2001. In between and thereafter she received numerous scholarships, international prizes and awards. Valuable musical mentors and masterclasses include Darko Petrinjak, Laura Young, Dale Kavanagh, Zoran Dukic, Alex Garrobe, Pablo Marquez, Marco Socías, Thomas Müller-Pering, Aniello Desiderio and David Russell.
As a soloist Irene Kalisvaart works with renowned orchestras and realizes projects as an ensemble musician. . Her open approach to music making spans the spectrum from baroque arrangements, new music, and even forays into techno, bluegrass and singer/songwriter.
Irene Kalisvaart plays a guitar by Kolya Panhuyzen (1992)