Fred Jacobs (1961-2025)

Fred was part of the Netherlands Bach Society for more than 30 years and excelled in many productions. He was equally at home in smaller soloist set ups, as in works with a larger line-up, and participated often in the St. Matthew Passion and the Christmas Oratorio. He was an extremely talented and professional musician who always aimed for the highest artistic quality and was never willing to compromise on that. He was also a cheerful bon vivant, a loyal friend, and a wonderful colleague who created a pleasant working atmosphere during and around the concerts.

Fred Jacobs was recognised both at home and abroad as one of the most important interpreters of the lute and theorbo repertoire. After studying with Anthony Bailes at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, he quickly established a versatile career. He was a member of The Gabrieli Consort and Players, the baroque Orchestra of the Netherlands Bach Society, the Monteverdi Ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, which made a name for itself throughout Europe with its Monteverdi and Cavalli productions.

He was co-founder of The Locke Consort, which made a name for itself in the field of 17th-century English chamber music with its recordings of Jenkins, Locke and Purcell. He recorded the complete works for theorbo by Robert de Visée for the British label Metronome. The second album in this series received an “outstanding nomination” from the British International Record Review, the third a nomination for “best recording of the year” from BBC Music Magazine.

Fred Jacobs performed with singers such as Johannette Zomer, Charles Daniels and Maarten Koningsberger and gave recitals with, among others, gambist Mieneke van der Velden and Baroque violinist Lidewij van der Voort. With them he made a large number of CDs dedicated to composers such as Caccini, Marais, Lambert and Kapsperger.

Fred Jacobs was a frequent guest at major early music festivals in Europe and the United States. He worked with conductors such as Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen, Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman, Ivor Bolton, Andrew Parrott, Marc Minkowski and Richard Egarr. He gave masterclasses on the French Air de Cour, the English lute song (with Emma Kirkby, among others) and Italian monody. He was a lecturer in lute and theorbo at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. His publications and lectures focused on various aspects of the lute and theorbo in the 17th century.