Mischa Spel (1975) studied Musicology at the Universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht. She started her career as a music journalist with contributions for, among others, Het Parool and Trouw and has been affiliated with NRC Handelsblad since 1999 as editor of classical music. For NRC Handelsblad she writes reviews, interviews and reports. In addition, she is active in various classical music juries. 
The idea for the book Op reis met de Matthäus Passion (St. Matthew Passion explained) originated from a special supplement about Bach that was produced in collaboration with the Dutch Bach Society.  Mischa wrote the book together with Floris Don and it was published by MeulenhoffBoekerij in 2016. Their next book, De Johannes Passion (St. John Passion explained) was published in 2018.