Marion Schaap is a graduate of Wim Pfister and Lex Eisenhardt at Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam and of Ben Verdery at Yale University. Her performance credits in the solo, chamber and concerto arenas are many, and include appearances at the Concertgebouw and the Ijsbreker (Amsterdam) as well as at several major festivals. Classical Guitar magazine (UK) once reported that her "explosive account of the Usher Waltz very nearly did bring the house down". She has recorded for Move Records, AMS and Naxos. 

Marion holds pedagogy diplomas from Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam. During her Yale years she acted as teaching assistant to Benjamin Verdery. Whilst living in Melbourne, Marion taught at the Victorian College of the Arts and its specialist secondary school for musically gifted children and was coordinator of the guitar programme at the Faculty of Music, Melbourne University. She has designed and taught special courses for Dutch music schools and has sat on the board of the European Guitar Teachers' Association.  

Marion Schaap together with Peter Constant forms the group “Z.o.o. Duo”, described by Classical Guitar magazine (UK) as "premier league quality". They met whilst completing their Masters degrees at Yale University (Benjamin Verdery) and subsequently forged a reputation at the forefront of Australia's music scene whilst heading the guitar departments at the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne University. They are currently based in The Netherlands where they primarily concentrate on their 'first love': playing together. 

In addition to 'Z.o.o.', Marion's collaboration with Shakuhachi Master Andrew Macgregor deserves special mention. Following the enormous success of their first CD, a second is in the works, and will again feature Marion's own arrangements of stunningly beautiful Japanese koto music for the guitar.

 

Send e-mail: zooduo@worldonline.nl 

For more information about Marion and her group Z.o.o. duo, visit the web site:
http://www.zooguitarduo.com/