Biography
The Hague String Trio was founded in 2006 by violinist Justyna Briefjes, violist Julia Dinerstein, and cellist Miriam Kirby. The three musicians met in The Hague after years of studying and working across Europe and beyond. Since then, they have formed a close-knit ensemble, united by a strong musical connection and a shared artistic vision.
The trio is known for its commitment to both the core string trio repertoire and the rediscovery of forgotten composers, bringing unjustly neglected works back to life. They collaborate with contemporary composers including Robin Holloway, Leo Samama, Kerry Woodward, Reza Nakisa, and Karmit Fadael, who is writing a new string trio for the ensemble to mark its 20th anniversary in the 2026–27 season. In addition, they perform with leading musicians such as oboist Pauline Oostenrijk and pianists Daniël Kramer and Ksenia Kouzmenko. The trio performs throughout the Netherlands and abroad.
Their discography has received widespread international acclaim; all three albums were selected as CD of the Week on the radio programme Passaggio (NPO Klassiek).
Their debut recording, After the Darkness (2019), featuring music by Jewish composers persecuted during the Second World War, received widespread recognition: 4 stars in BBC Music Magazine, a Supersonic Award from Pizzicato, a rating of 10 in Luister, and a glowing review in Gramophone. In addition, the album was nominated in the chamber music category of the International Classical Music Awards 2020.
Their second album, Celebrating Women! (2021), devoted to rediscovered string trios by female composers and featuring four world-premiere recordings, was awarded 5 stars by Pizzicato, while MusicWeb International praised the trio as “professionals to their fingertips…the performances are excellent.”
Their most recent album, Echoes of Budapest, pays homage to three Hungarian-Jewish musicians and friends, Pál Hermann, Zoltán Székely and Géza Frid. Featuring two world-premiere recordings, the album tells a story of friendship, migration, and loss. It was named Editor’s Choice by Limelight (Australia) (★★★★½), Diapason (France) awarded four stars for both the performance and recording quality, The Strad praised the trio as “perfectly attuned to each other,” and Luister awarded it a 9/10.
Alongside their core repertoire, the trio also develops innovative interdisciplinary projects. Visions of Goldberg, created in collaboration with digital artist Lisette Huizenga, combines Bach’s Goldberg Variations with stop-motion film, while their recent project Lost in the Stars, featuring singer Lucy Woodward, bassist/arranger Marijn van Prooijen and drummer Vinsent Planjer, explores the music of Kurt Weill and his contemporaries in a compelling crossover programme.
The 2026/27 season marks the trio’s 20th anniversary, celebrating two decades of inspiring collaboration and adventurous programming. Justyna Briefjes and Miriam Kirby are members of the Residentie Orkest The Hague, while Julia Dinerstein is a sought-after viola pedagogue at various conservatoires across the Netherlands.
Justyna Briefjes - violin
Justyna studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Peter Brunt, Kees Hülsmann and Janet Krause. In addition to her music studies at the conservatoire she also studied History of Art for two years at the University of Amsterdam and graduated in 2004 from the Academy of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Justyna played as guest principal in various orchestras in the Netherlands such as the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Chamber Philharmonic and the Nieuw Ensemble and has been a member of the ResidentieOrkest, The Hague since 2004, initially as subprincipal and since 2021 as principal of the second violin group.
As well as performing in The Hague String Trio, Justyna enjoys performing chamber music in a wide range of different ensembles. She has taken part in masterclasses with Mauricio Fuks, Herman Krebbers and Alexander Kerr and plays on a violin made in 2019 by Andrew Finnigan and Pia Klaembt in Bremen, Germany.
Julia Dinerstein - viola
Julia Dinerstein studied violin first with Boris Dinerstein, then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with Elizabeth Gilels and Andrei Korsakov and subsequently viola at the Maastricht Conservatoire with Mikhail Kugel.
She regularly performs in various chamber ensembles and, in addition to playing with The Hague String Trio, is also a member of the Zemtsov Viola Quartet. She has participated in numerous international music festivals as both a soloist and chamber musician.
Julia teaches viola at the Conservatorium Maastricht, Codarts Rotterdam and ArtEZ Conservatorium (Arnhem/Zwolle), and both violin and viola at the Codarts Lyceum Rotterdam and Academy for Musical Talent (Utrecht).
She is in demand as a teacher at summer music festivals in Europe and has given masterclasses worldwide. Many of Julia’s students have been prize winners in national and international competitions. She won 2nd prize in the Beethoven International Viola Competition in Austria.
Miriam Kirby - cello
Miriam Kirby studied with Joan Dickson at the junior department of the Royal College of Music, with Melissa Phelps at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and privately with William Pleeth. She completed her studies with Johannes Goritzki at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, where she gained her Soloist’s Diploma. She has also attended masterclasses with Dorothy DeLay, Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, Menahem Pressler, the Amadeus Quartet and the Takács Quartet.
In England, Miriam performed with orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and in Germany was co-principal cellist of the Deutsche Kammerakademie. In the Netherlands, she performed with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, regularly gives concerts for Stichting Appeltaartconcerten, and has been a member of the Residentie Orkest, The Hague, since 1998. She plays a Bronek Cison cello, made in Chicago in 1996.
