Biography

Marlene Hemmer started playing the violin when she was four years old. In 1989 she was accepted to the Young Talent Education Programme at the Utrecht School of the Arts. From 1994 onwards Marlene Hemmer studied with Zakhar Bron at the University of Music in Lübeck, Ana Chumachenco in Biella (Italy) and Emmy Verhey and Alexander Kerr at the Utrecht School of the Arts where she completed her studies with a 10 with distinction.

During her studies Marlene Hemmer took part in masterclasses from, amongst others, Ruggiero Ricci (Dartington, England) and Zaven Melikian (Pebble Beach, California), Felix Andrievsky and Edward Grach (Keshet Eilon-masterclasses in Israël). 

From the age of eight onwards Marlene Hemmer performed as a soloist with various orchestras including the Radio Symphony Orchestra,  The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Holland Symfonia and het Brabants Orkest. She worked together with conductors like Viktor Liberman, Vasili Petrenko, Ulrich Windfuhr, Eri Klas and David Porcelijn. Marlene Hemmer's chamber music partners included Maxim Rysanov,  David Geringas, Jeremy Menuhin, Hagai Shaham, Anna Gastinel, Lera Auerbach, Igor Roma, Joseph Silverstein, Rian de Waal, Godfried Hoogeveen and Christiaan Bor. 

At the beginning of 2008 the debut CD of Marlene Hemmer, a recording of the 3 violin sonatas  by J. Brahms together with pianist Paul Komen, was  released by Dutch Record Company. The CD received glowing reviews and reached 2nd place in the Top 15 of the Dutch Classical Music Channel “Radio 4”. Marlene Hemmer and Paul Komen performed many times in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, in radio-shows and on the Dutch television-show “Vrije Geluiden”.

In 2011 DRC released her new CD 'Virtuoso Opera Fantasies' featuring works by Paganini. Wieniawski,Sarasate and Gershwin. On the CD she is accompanied by her brother and pianist Derrick Hemmer. 'Virtuoso Opera Fantasies' was immediately 'highly recommended' by the Dutch Classical Music Magazine 'Klassieke Zaken'.

Marlene Hemmer has won many prizes, including the Iordans Viooldagen (1992), the international Concorso Premio Sassari (1996) and the Prinses Christina Concours (1997). In 1996 she reached the final of the NPS-Cultuurprijs, a Dutch television show, and in 2003 Marlene Hemmer won the second prize at the Nationaal Vioolconcours Oskar Back with a performance of the Scottish Fantasy by Max Bruch.

In 2014, Marlene Hemmer was appointed concertmaster of the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (NNO).