Wilma Pistorius was born in South Africa, started playing the cello at the age of four, and has been accompanied her whole life by a vivid musical imagination. Her musical passion came to the Netherlands with her in 2004, where she later studied bachelor composition with Wim Henderickx and Jorrit Tamminga at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, graduating in 2013. Parallel to this, she studied bachelor cello with Jeroen den Herder at the Conservatory of Rotterdam, graduating with distinction in 2014. Currently, she is based in Amsterdam, where she works, plays, and teaches.

Pistorius describes her music as “serious, but with a wink”. For her it is the most direct way of expressing herself, and subtly challenging both musicians and audiences. Her works are often inspired by her personal (sensory) experience of the world, and she enjoys the synaesthetic game of translating these into sound colours and textures. The themes of gender equality and ~identity, and (female) empowerment often form important starting points for her works. For Pistorius, music is fundamentally playful and magical. It is a means of relating to the world, herself, and others, connecting them all with the help of vibrations in the air.