Guus Fabius, grew up in a family which stimulated his musical development. His love of chamber music surfaced at a young age whilst playing in bamboo flute groups. Guus enjoyed many years of cello lessons from Dries Munnik and was a member of the Leiden Youth Orchestra (JKL).
The decision to become a professional cellist was not evident after leaving school but a lot of chamber music, especially string quartets, paved the way to start a professional study with Ben de Ligt at the conservatory of Groningen. Guus was member of the Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra (NESKO) and the National Youth Orchestra of Holland (NJO). After living in Groningen for five years he moved to Amsterdam (Jean Decroos) and completed his formal studies in Utrecht (Dmitri Ferschtman).
After his studies Guus gave a series of recitals with the pianist, Ian Gaukroger: in 1997 they gave a premiere (revival) of the sonata (1931) by Margot Wright in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The love of chamber music involved Guus as a founder member of several ensembles. In his years in Groningen he met the violinist, Hans Rijkmans with whom he played many concerts and several international tours under the name of "Alauda". In 1993 the cello-viola duo with Prunella Pacey was formed. A chamber music series was established in 1995 with the newly formed ARTO-ensemble and continues to perform in Bunnik. Other ensembles which Guus co-formed are the Dutch String Trio (2005), a cello duo with Liesbeth Bos (cello) (2010) and string quartet Ottomani (2019). Besides his private teaching practice Guus Fabius performs in solo-cello recitals, participates in eurythmy-performances, plays a lot of chamber music, and participates regularly in the Cugnon Project of Chris Duindam. His cello, built in 1997 by David Collins, was made following the model of the unusually large Stradivarius known as "Servais".

The Duo Pacey (viola) – Fabius (cello)
first performed in 1993 following an invitation to give a concert in The Hague. The consequence of this invitation was the discovery of a considerable repertoire, said to be more than 100 compositions, for this unusual combination. Many other concerts were to follow including a tour of Indonesia. Two composers, Miriam Rainsford and Egmont Swaan, have each written a composition specially for the Duo.
A selection of comments from the press:

“Perfect ensemble...”
“...Surprising variety of music styles...”
“The sound is exceptionally homogenous...”
“...Difficult to discover who is playing what...”.

Guus Fabius and Prunella Pacey have two children and live in Holland.
At the end of 2010 a CD from the Duo will become available with sonatas by J.Braun and G.Templeton Strong and smaller pieces by R.Clarke and W.Lutoslawski,

Prunella Pacey - viola
was born in Durham (England) in a musical environment: her mother was the composer-pianist Margot Wright, who used to accompany Kathleen Ferrier. Prunella was fortunate enough to have this great singer as a godmother and an inspiration for her viola-playing.
For many years Prunella has been a well-known figure in the viola world. After winning scholarships to the Royal College of Music and the Hochschulen of Vienna and Detmold Prunella became Principal Viola of the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra. Having played chamber music since the age of ten, performing in Europe and the U.S.A., she joined the Allegri String Quartet.
After moving to Holland in 1982 Prunella branched out into numerous viola-playing activities. These include a viola-piano Duo which gave a successful Purcell Room (London) recital in 1986, membership of the Dutch Mondriaan Quartet, specializing in modern music, and the making of more than twenty-five CDs. These include the labels EMI, Decca and Etcetera. Prunella has taught viola and chamber music at the Utrecht Conservatory since 1986 and is currently a member of several chamber music ensembles including the Spinoza String Quartet. She is a frequent performer and guest-teacher at international festivals and is consultant viola teacher at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama since 2006. Prunella plays an instrument built in 1948 by Max Möller.

Guus Fabius, born in California, grew up in a family which stimulated his musical development. His love of chamber music surfaced at a young age whilst playing in bamboo flute groups. Guus enjoyed many years of cello lessons from Dries Munnik and was a member of the Leiden Youth Orchestra (JKL).
The decision to become a professional cellist was not evident after leaving school but a lot of chamber music, especially string quartets, paved the way to start a professional study with Ben de Ligt at the conservatory of Groningen. Guus was member of the Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra (NESKO) and the National Youth Orchestra of Holland (NJO). After living in Groningen for five years he moved to Amsterdam and completed his formal studies in Utrecht.
After his studies Guus gave a series of recitals with the pianist, Ian Gaukroger: in 1997 they gave a premiere (revival) of the sonata (1931) by Margot Wright in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The love of chamber music involved Guus as a founder member of several ensembles. In his years in Groningen he met the violinist, Hans Rijkmans with whom he played many concerts and several international tours under the name of "Alauda". In 1993 the cello-viola duo with Prunella Pacey was formed. A chamber music series was established in 1995 with the newly formed ARTO-ensemble and continues to perform to an ever-growing audience in Utrecht (Bunnik). Two other ensembles which Guus formed are the Dutch String Trio (2005) and a cello duo with Liesbeth Bos (cello) (2010).
Besides his private teaching practice Guus Fabius performs regularly in solo-cello recitals. His cello, built in 1997 by David Collins, was made following the model of the unusually large Stradivarius known as"Servais".

Rosina Fabius - voice (mezzo-soprano)
Prunella Pacey - viola
Guus Fabius - cello

The Fabius Ensemble is a trio of professional musicians from the same family in which the daughter Rosina is at the beginning of her singing career. Next to their regular concert-giving activities they are also well-known for performances at exhibitions and other social occasions.
The repertoire consists of classical and romantic songs and arias arranged for this combination of voice and string instruments.The programmes often include some duos of the Pacey-Fabius Duo.






Rosina Fabius (1990) - mezzo soprano
studied cello and piano from an early age before discovering her passion for singing. She currently studies at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (formerly known as Conservatorium) Utrecht with Hennie Diemer. Rosina won a prize in 2009 at the national competition of the Stichting Jong Muziektalent. In the summer of 2010 she participated in some concerts in Indonesia. Her presentation is soulful and impressive without being overdone.

Prunella Pacey - viola
is a well-known violist in the world of chamber music. After several years in the Allegri String Quartet she became established in many ensembles and also performs as a soloist. Her duo with piano gave a successful recital in the London Purcell Room. Prunella Pacey taught for many years at the Utrecht Conservatorium and is internationally active as a guest teacher. She has recorded for Decca, EMI, Etcetera and Globe.

Guus Fabius - cello
is active as a chamber music player in several ensembles including the Alauda String Quartet and the Arto Ensemble. The latter group constitutes the focus of an ongoing chamber music series in Utrecht. Guus Fabius also performs as a soloist. His favourite repertoire includes the Bach Cello Suites and the virtuoso Caprices of Alfredo Piatti. He has given several recitals with the pianist Ian Gaukroger including two in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

The Cello-Duo Liesbeth Bos - Guus Fabius was founded in 2010. They met in a music project in which they discovered a similar musicality in each other which simplifies the generally difficult process of playing together. The Duo already has performed several times. There is an extensive repertoire for two cellos written by virtuoso cellists which exploits to the full the possibilities of two cellos. Compositions for this combination range from early baroque to contemporary music.










Liesbeth Bos - cello
studied cello at the conservatoria of Zwolle and Amsterdam with Jeroen Reuling and Michel Dispa. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Holland (NJO) and pop/jazz orchestras conducted by Tonny Eyck en Cor Bakker. She also participated in music theatre productions of Muztheater, Frank Groothof, Dogtroep etc.
Apart from her cello duo with Guus Fabius Liesbeth is currently involved in several chamber music ensembles. These include the Medina String Quartet. The sound she makes on her cello comes straight from the heart and penetrates deeply into the listeners' souls.

Guus Fabius - cello
studied at the conservatoria of Groningen, Amsterdam and Utrecht with Ben de Ligt, Jean Decroos and Dmitri Ferschtman. He then joined several orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra of Holland (NJO), the Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra (NESKO) and various professional orchestras. His main activity is currently chamber music in various ensembles amongst which the Duo with Liesbeth Bos (cello), a duo with Prunella Pacey (viola), the Alauda String Quartet, the Dutch String Trio and the ARTO ensemble. The latter ensemble is the centre of an on-going series of concerts in Utrecht (Bunnik).

The Spinoza String Sextet consists of the Spinoza String Quartet, complemented by Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir (viola) and Guus Fabius, two partners of members of the Quartet. The leader of the sextet, Elisabeth Perry is an experienced sextet player and her previous group, the Ariensky Sextet, won a prize for the best CD of the year with their recording for EMI of Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence".

Alauda String Quartet

Hans Rijkmans - violin
Kees Hilhorst - violin
Sven Rotteveel Mansveld - viola
Guus Fabius - cello

The Alauda String Quartet took its name from the Joseph Haydn's quartet known as "the Lark". Alauda is Latin for lark. The present members first performed in a world première at a modern open-air "Performance"in France. All members of the quartet started their studies without believing in a career as a musician but later renounced their academic aspirations. The success of that project in France showed the quartet as having a very stable "chemistry". The quartet now performs regularly in the Netherlands and also in festivals in France and Germany.

Hans Rijkmans - violin
studied violin with Bouw Lemkes at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. He can be seen participating in virtually all Dutch orchestras. Hans takes part in diverse but mostly classical productions with a preference for smaller groups. He has toured France and Japan and has also taught and performed in Mongolia. Some of his other activities include the viola and piano accompaniment.

Kees Hilhorst - violin
studied violin at the conservatorium of Rotterdam with Jan Hulst en Benzion Shamir. He has recorded Maurits Konings' Fantasy sonata for violin and piano with the composer at the piano. Kees is concertmaster of Ensemble Esprit and participates in Baroque orchestras such as ensemble De Swaen. Ian Metheson wrote a solo work ´A serious matter´ especially for Kees which is experimental in nature. The composers Clare Mclean en Iain Brandram are composing quartets for him at this moment. Next to the Alauda quartet Kees is also a member of the Medina quartet and the Wanderer quintet.

Sven Rotteveel Mansveld - viola
studied at the Utrechts Conservatorium with Prunella Pacey and Nobuco Imai. Since then he plays as a free lance viola-player in numerous Dutch orchestras, most frequently in the Residentie-Orchestra. Sven performs chamber music in several ensembles. He has also mastered the viola d´amore, an instrument with fourteen strings related to the violin and the viola, and used e.g. in the Johannes-Passion of Bach. Sven is a founding member of the ensemble Eik en Linde which is specialised in early baroque music.

Guus Fabius - cello
started with piano lessons at the age of eight adding the cello three years later. He studied cello at the Conservatorium of Groningen with Ben de Ligt. The musical world got the better of him with chamber music, orchestra work, concerts, courses and tours. Guus continued his studies with Jean Decroos at the Sweelinck Conservatorium and with Dmitri Ferschtman at the Conservatorium of Utrecht.
He is currently linked to about six chamber music ensembles. He is also in demand as continuo Cellist in baroque orchestras.

Dutch String Trio

Pauline Terlouw - violin
Prunella Pacey - viola
Guus Fabius - cello

The Dutch String Trio was founded in 2005 by three very experienced chamber musicians on the occasion of Mozart’s 250th anniversary (in 2006). The Trio’s repertoire includes works by Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Dohnányi and Villa Lobos. Their programmes are often built around an invited soloist which gives the opportunity for much variety including duos, trios, and quartets.





Pauline Terlouw – violin
studied with Wolfram König and was a member of the Gustav Klimt Quartet for several years. She is currently the violinist of the Orion Ensemble with which she has made many CD’s. Pauline Terlouw is a member of the Metropole Orchestra.In 2005 she founded the project “Het Luisterrijk” in Utrecht in which she is actively involved in specially illustrated musical events.

Prunella Pacey – viola
is a well-known violist in the world of chamber music. After several years in the Allegri String Quartet she became established in many ensembles and also performs as a soloist. Her duo with piano gave a successful recital in the London Purcell Room. Prunella Pacey taught for many years at the Utrecht Conservatorium and is internationally active as a guest teacher. She has recorded for Decca, EMI, Etcetera and Globe.

Guus Fabius – cello
is active as a chamber music player in several ensembles including the Alauda String Quartet and the Arto Ensemble. The latter group constitutes the focus of an ongoing chamber music series in Utrecht. Guus Fabius also performs as a soloist. Amongst his favourite repertoire are the Bach Cello Suites and the virtuoso Caprices of Alfredo Piatti. He gave several recitals with the pianist Ian Gaukroger including two at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.