Pulse Ensemble
The vocal quartet Pulse Ensemble consists of Stijn Claerhoudt (1995), Willem Peek (1998), Daan van der Schaft (1995), and Ernesto Schuddeboom (1998), four childhood friends who began singing at the Cathedral Choir School Utrecht and in the Cathedral Choir of Utrecht. They gave their first joint performances at the Classical Music Evenings of their secondary school, the Christelijk Gymnasium Utrecht. In 2014 they founded Pulse Ensemble in order to specialize in music connected to the Dutch-language region, and in particular music originating from Utrecht sources. To this end, they conduct research into manuscripts and engage deeply with relevant historical contexts and performance practices. They explore the outer limits of early modern scores and regularly experiment with polyphonic improvisation. Alongside a focus on medieval and Renaissance music, the ensemble moves with ease across different genres and periods.
In 2020, the ensemble released its first album, ’t Schrickelik Tempeest. The musicians have performed at a range of internationally renowned music festivals and venues, including the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht (2019), Klassiek op het Amstelveld (2022), the Polish early music festival Song of Our Roots (2024), Börzsöny Baroque Days (2024), St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome, 2020), the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (live broadcast on Radio 4/NPO Klassiek from the Spiegelzaal, 2022), and the Utrecht Early Music Festival (2025).
Each summer, they set out together with little more than a tent, sleeping bags, and their music books, singing in the churches, monasteries, cathedrals, and streets of Europe.
The Pulse Ensemble can be contacted via info@pulseensemble.nl.
