"Subtle" and "with character"
- Dutch newspaper review, NRC Handelsblad

It all started at a young age with the guitar. But at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (Netherlands) Ireen Thomas quickly switched to the lute studying with Toyohiko Satoh, with whom she later published a Catalogue of Contemporary Lute Music. Workshops and private lessons with Hopkinson Smith contributed to her refined manner of playing.

With the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Thomas performed several times in Bach's St. Johns Passion and with Edo de Waart as conductor, the operatic presentations of Wagner's Meistersinger von Nürnberg. With the Dutch Chamber Orchestra under Hartmuth Haenchen, she performed Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. During The Holland Festival of Early Music she performed Emilio Cavalieri's Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo under Frans Moonen as conductor.

In keeping with the lute, Thomas has extensively played chamber music, from very old to very contemporary. From the medieval period she played using her owl feather plectrum and with singer and musicologist Dr. Rebecca Stewart to Mauricio Kagel's Musik für Renaissance Instrumente and the young Greek composer Calliope Tsoupaki.

About ten years ago Ireen's first love, the guitar, began to ogle her from the dusty corner in which it had been lying for 20 years. Since then it is particularly the romantic guitar which has inspired her to make several varied and unconventional programs such as:

From Weiss via Mozart to Sor
Mozart's music, forms an interesting connection between the baroque lute and the romantic guitar as transcriptions of his works exist for both instruments. In addition to Mozart the program includes excellent music by Weiss, Hagen, Paganini and Sor.

For the Czar and the Miss from Cornewalle
A contribution to the life and works of Fernando Sor.

Satie and Sor on Lute and Guitar
The audience is be 'taken' to Paris and hears the romantic flamboyant music of Fernando Sor in contrast with the charming and singular tones of Erik Satie.

Contemplations

Indian Summer of the Lute