Paul van der Linden

His interest in instrument making began in the early 1980s, around 1981, during his first years as a baroque oboist. At that time, the conservatoire hosted several courses on instrument building led by renowned experts such as Frederick Morgan and Bruce Haynes. Following these, the conservatoire opened its own workshop with support from musicians like Ricardo Kanji. This workshop became a fertile ground for instrument makers such as Jacqueline Sorel, Adri Breukink, Peter van der Poel, and others.

During the first ten years, his focus was primarily on building recorders. From around 1990, his attention gradually shifted toward baroque oboes – the instrument he played most often in his concert career. Since 2000, Paul has been exclusively building oboes.

Since 1984, he has performed with many baroque orchestras as a baroque oboist, and occasionally as a recorder player.
He also leads the overall organization of Baroque Orchestra Florilegium Musicum, which specializes in accompanying choirs. The ensemble performs around 20 to 25 concerts per year. These organizational responsibilities may occasionally lead to slight delays in instrument delivery times.

Lastly, Paul credits a long-standing friendship and collaboration with Piet Dhont as a major source of inspiration and insight. Piet Dhont is considered one of the leading pioneers in historical oboe making.