Willem Suilen (born in 1995 in Venlo, Netherlands) began playing the piano at the age of 14. After finishing high school, he started his studies at prestigious conservatories, including the Conservatorium of Maastricht, the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. He specialized in jazz and improvised music.
For Suilen, music is an eternal quest for sound. He is constantly evolving, seeking to expand his knowledge and create a fresh and original musical product. This manifests itself in his compositions and improvisations.
In 2014, he received an honorable mention with the “Willem Suilen Trio” at the prestigious Prinses Christina Concours in Amsterdam. And in 2016, with the band “Babs,” he won both the jury and audience prizes at the Maastricht Jazz Awards.
In 2019, he graduated with great distinction from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Furthermore, his work was rewarded with the Toots Thielemans Jazz Award. As a result, he released his debut album, “The Antagonist – The Protagonist,” with his band “Willem Suilen Trio & String Quartet” in 2020. It is available on vinyl and can be listened to on all major streaming services.
In 2022, he released an EP under the banner of the interdisciplinary art project De Nieuwe Golf, in collaboration with singer Babs van Bree.
In June 2023, Suilen will release his first solo piano album. This album, titled “Con Fine,” consists of compositions written during the turbulent times of the pandemic.
In addition to his work as a performing pianist and composer, since October 2018, he has been teaching piano at Kunstencentrum Venlo (now known as Co de Cultuurontwikkelaar) and is studying Software Development at Fontys in Eindhoven.