Biography
Eline Cote is a Master of Music in “Creative Project”, Double bass, and Teaching Artist. She graduated Magna Cum Laude at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp, Belgium in 2020. She studied Double Bass with Lode Leire for 17 years.
Double Bass has been Eline’s musical passion since she was seven years old. She started training at the Music Academy in Merksem with Lode Leire and joined the Big Band under the direction of Ronald Dedrie. After completing her musical training, she went on to the de!Kunsthumaniora, a performing arts high school.
Eline was only eight years old when she first performed on stage under the direction of Eveline Esser. Three years later, she joined the Youth Orchestra, directed by Ronald Rogiers and later Roel Willems. At the age of fourteen, she auditioned for the Youth and Music Orchestra, Antwerp, with renowned director Ivo Venkov. She quickly moved up and was appointed captain of the Double Bass sections in both Orchestras. Currently, Eline is also first Bass for Con Spirito, the student Orchestra at the Conservatory, directed by Simon de Paepe.
In her eighteen-year career, Eline has traveled the world and participated in master classes to develop her craft. Among others, she worked with Rick Stotijn (Amsterdam Conservatory), Andrew Anderson (Roosevelt University, Chicago), Dominic Seldis (Royal Orchestra Building Orchestra, Amsterdam), Julita Fasseva (Antwerp Symphonic Orchestra), Jeff Bradetich (University of North Texas, College of Music), Andreas Bennetzen (Danish Composer specialized in looping stations), Alex Bayer (German composer focused on jazz, improv, and popular music), Alexis Scharff (Kurpfälzischen Kammerorchester), and Christine Hoock (WDR Symphony Orchestra). On the national stage, Eline has performed at major venues, including Sportpaleis, Paleis 12, Vorst Nationaal, and the Koningin Elisabethzaal.
Eline is the founder of the Virago Symphony Orchestra, an all-female ensemble dedicated to the pursuit of gender equity. Her M.M. thesis “The Challenges of Professional Female Musicians in the Western World” is currently under review for publication. In support of this project, she interviewed and surveyed hundreds of professional musician across the globe, notably in London and the renowned music department of the University California, Berkeley. Eline is also co-director of the Lilith Ensemble, a contemporary music ensemble that only plays works by female composers, while the players focus on having a 50/50 gender representation.
In her free time, unsurprisingly, Eline focuses on more music; she is a member of folk group Emmaville, where she both plays the double bass and is the lead singer. She went on to learn to play on gut strings and is currently following conducting classes with Pascale Van Os.
