Marijke Groenendaal and Jacob Engel started working together as a duo in 2006. Together they have developed an extensive and varied Art Song repertoire.
They have taken lessons with a number of singers and pianists, among whom are David Willison, Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Kelvin Grout, Rudolf Jansen, Robin Bowman and Terence Allbright. During the AIMS Summer course from 2008 through to 2017 they were selected to perform in the student concerts.
Their repertoire not only comprises Art Song cycles, such as Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -Leben, Debussy’s Ariettes Oubliées, Poulenc’s Tel Jour Telle Nuit, Barber’s Hermit Songs and Strauss’ Opus 10, but also many songs by, e.g., Wolf, Britten, Grieg, Schubert, Brahms, Chausson, Hahn, Clarke, Finzi, Mahler and Montsalvatge, but also contemporary composers such as Maria Thompson Corley, B.E. Boykin, N. Nombeko and Jake Heggie.
In 2009 Marijke and Jacob recorded a CD with a selection of their favourite songs.
In 2017 they recorded a CD with songs by Aaron Copland, Modest Moussorgksy and Dmitri Shostakovich.
They perform regularly for the foundation “Muziek in Huis” which organises professional chamber music concerts in care homes in The Netherlands.