Nicolaas Cottenie started playing the violin when he was six years old. Since then he has been involved in various forms of music, ranging from classical to avant-garde electronics to jazz and klezmer, both as a composer, arranger, performer and technician. Together with his friend Jonas De Rave, he specialized in klezmer and they continue to deepen this practice. Cottenie obtained a master’s degree at the Conservatory of Arnhem.
At the moment he focuses mainly on improvisation, more specifically on a specific form of free improvisation, developed by Alan Bern: Present Time Composition. Cottenie applies this technique with his band Zahir Collective.
Website: www.zahir.be
https://soundcloud.com/nicolaas-cottenie