Jeffrey Kant (1992) studied with Jörgen van Rijen, Pierre Volders and Remko de Jager at the Amsterdam Conservatory. In 2013 Jeffrey studied half a year as an exchange student with Michel Becquet at the CNSMD de Lyon, where he also specialized in baroque trombone with Daniel Lassalle. In the following year, he received his Bachelor degree at the Amsterdam Conservatory and in June 2016 he received his Master of Music with the highest distinction. In 2015, at the age of 22, Jeffrey got appointed as principal trombonist in the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (West-German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Germany). Since then, he is also a member of the prestigious trombone ensemble New Trombone Collective.
Besides being active in many orchestras and ensembles (Jeffrey did several replacements with orchestras and ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Salaputia Brass and many others). Jeffrey is also having a career as a soloist, having played with several orchestras and at trombone festivals such as Slide Factory and Lille Trombone Festival. In February 2019, Jeffrey had the honor to perform the German première of a new trombone concerto written by Richard Dubugnon: “Tombeau de Napoléon”, with his own WDR Symphony Orchestra in the Cologne Philharmonie. In the summer of 2022, Jeffrey won the International City Brass Competition in Stuttgart, Germany.
As for chamber music, Jeffrey regularly performs with his partner and harpist Anneleen Schuitemaker, who is a member of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Although this combination of trombone and harp might seem odd at first sight, their audiences are always happily surprised by the well blending sound of their instruments and the diversity of their programs.
In 2020, the idea to form a trombone quartet with friends and former classmates grew into the emergence of the Bruckner Quartet. The ensemble is named after the composer who arguably knew best how to write for trombones in a way that makes them blend and roar: Anton Bruckner. The quartet’s ability to sing, along with their creativity and individual virtuosity, makes for a remarkable ensemble that promises to dazzle with every performance.
