Daniel Rowland

Candida Thompson graduated in 1989 with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Lonodn as a student of David Takeno, and continued her education at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She has led string orchestras in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. She has performed in chamber settings with musicians such as Isaac Stern, Bruno Giuranna, Frans Helmerson, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, and at festivals including the Kuhmo Festival (Finland), the Gubbio Festival (Italy), and the Delft Chamber Music Festival. She forms the Hamlet Piano Trio with cellist Xenia Jankovic and pianist Paolo Giacometti. She has been the concertmaster of Amsterdam Sinfonietta since 1995, and their Artistic Director since 2003. Candida plays a Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744) kindly on loan from a private collector.

Irene Duval

Candida Thompson graduated in 1989 with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Lonodn as a student of David Takeno, and continued her education at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She has led string orchestras in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. She has performed in chamber settings with musicians such as Isaac Stern, Bruno Giuranna, Frans Helmerson, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, and at festivals including the Kuhmo Festival (Finland), the Gubbio Festival (Italy), and the Delft Chamber Music Festival. She forms the Hamlet Piano Trio with cellist Xenia Jankovic and pianist Paolo Giacometti. She has been the concertmaster of Amsterdam Sinfonietta since 1995, and their Artistic Director since 2003. Candida plays a Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744) kindly on loan from a private collector.

Stella Zake

Candida Thompson graduated in 1989 with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Lonodn as a student of David Takeno, and continued her education at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She has led string orchestras in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. She has performed in chamber settings with musicians such as Isaac Stern, Bruno Giuranna, Frans Helmerson, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, and at festivals including the Kuhmo Festival (Finland), the Gubbio Festival (Italy), and the Delft Chamber Music Festival. She forms the Hamlet Piano Trio with cellist Xenia Jankovic and pianist Paolo Giacometti. She has been the concertmaster of Amsterdam Sinfonietta since 1995, and their Artistic Director since 2003. Candida plays a Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744) kindly on loan from a private collector.

51 Strings

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Phion

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Orchestre Partout

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Holland Baroque

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Haydn Jeugd Strijkorkest

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Global Gongs Collective

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Chu Yi-Bing

Kalle de Bie (1994) started playing the cello aged 6. From 2008, he studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jeroen den Herder, Jelena Očić, and Dmitri Ferschtman. Kalle finished his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, studying with the acclaimed cello pedagogue Reinhard Latzko. In October 2016, Kalle was awarded the Start-in-Splendor Prize at the National Cello Competition, thus winning a carte blanche in Splendor Amsterdam. He created a musical and visual journey through the surrealist world of French composer Henri Dutilleux. Previously, Kalle has also been a part of other various projects that included film, poetry, and dance. He is the cellist of the Brackman Trio and the Marigold Piano Quartet. Kalle also plays with the collective Pynarello.

Chiara Trentin

Kalle de Bie (1994) started playing the cello aged 6. From 2008, he studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jeroen den Herder, Jelena Očić, and Dmitri Ferschtman. Kalle finished his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, studying with the acclaimed cello pedagogue Reinhard Latzko. In October 2016, Kalle was awarded the Start-in-Splendor Prize at the National Cello Competition, thus winning a carte blanche in Splendor Amsterdam. He created a musical and visual journey through the surrealist world of French composer Henri Dutilleux. Previously, Kalle has also been a part of other various projects that included film, poetry, and dance. He is the cellist of the Brackman Trio and the Marigold Piano Quartet. Kalle also plays with the collective Pynarello.

Idlikó Szabó

Kalle de Bie (1994) started playing the cello aged 6. From 2008, he studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jeroen den Herder, Jelena Očić, and Dmitri Ferschtman. Kalle finished his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, studying with the acclaimed cello pedagogue Reinhard Latzko. In October 2016, Kalle was awarded the Start-in-Splendor Prize at the National Cello Competition, thus winning a carte blanche in Splendor Amsterdam. He created a musical and visual journey through the surrealist world of French composer Henri Dutilleux. Previously, Kalle has also been a part of other various projects that included film, poetry, and dance. He is the cellist of the Brackman Trio and the Marigold Piano Quartet. Kalle also plays with the collective Pynarello.

Joel Siepmann

Cello

Astrig Siranossian

Cello

Denis Severin

Cello

François Salque

Cello

Anwar Saidi

Cello

Bruno Tobon

Cello

Ori Ron

Cello

Thomas Prechal

Cello

Jan Ype Nota

Cello

René van Munster

Cello

Christopher Loy

Cello

Monika Leskovar

Cello

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Cello

Steven Isserlis

Cello

Marie-Elisabeth Hecker

Cello

Raphaela Gromes

Cello

Giovanni Gnocchi

Cello

Anastasia Feruleva

Plays in

Amarilis Dueñas

Cello

Friedemann Dähn

Cello

Bruno Cocset

Cello

Maja Bogdanovic

Cello

Emmanuelle Bertrand

Cello

Naomi Berrill

Cello

Matthew Barley

Cello

Harald Austbø

Cello

Kalle de Bie

Kalle de Bie (1994) started playing the cello aged 6. From 2008, he studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jeroen den Herder, Jelena Očić, and Dmitri Ferschtman. Kalle finished his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, studying with the acclaimed cello pedagogue Reinhard Latzko. In October 2016, Kalle was awarded the Start-in-Splendor Prize at the National Cello Competition, thus winning a carte blanche in Splendor Amsterdam. He created a musical and visual journey through the surrealist world of French composer Henri Dutilleux. Previously, Kalle has also been a part of other various projects that included film, poetry, and dance. He is the cellist of the Brackman Trio and the Marigold Piano Quartet. Kalle also plays with the collective Pynarello.

jongNBE

The young Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, or jongNBE, is an ensemble consisting of young, talented musicians from Dutch concervatories – some already graduated, others still studying. The ensemble is made up of ten musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, saxophone, (bass) trombone, percussion, and double bass/bass guitar) and is coached by experienced musicians from NBE.  JongNBE accompanies young composers at the showcases of the composition competition Op weg naar het Nieuwjaarsconcert (“On the way to the New Year’s Concert”) and performs programmes all over The Netherlands. JongNBE has performed at the Grachtenfestival, in ‘De Nacht van Ramses’ (“The Night of Ramses”) in the DeLaMar Theater, at ‘Vroege Vogels’ (“Early Birds”) in the Hoge Veluwe Park, at lunch concerts in the Concertgebouw, as well as on the Uitmarkt, on Radio 4’s Opium, at the Oranjewoud Festival, at the hockey World Championship, at the Cello Biënnale, and in the Holland Opera productions ‘The Day After’, ‘STYX’, and ‘Kersentuin’ at Fort Rijnauwen.

Quirine Viersen

Quirine Viersen received her first cello lessons from her father Yke Viersen, who was a cellist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1971 to 2014. She went on to study with Jean Decroos and later with Dmitry Ferschtman at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. She completed her studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg with Heinrich Schiff. Quirine has won many prizes at international competitions. In 1994, she was the first Dutch laureate of the Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1996, she formed a duo with pianist Silke Avenhaus and recorded five CDs with romantic and contemporary music. These were received with great enthusiasm, as were her recordings of the solo suites by Bach and Britten. She has worked with musicians such as Antje Weithaas, Thomas Beijer, Leonidas Kavakos and Liza Ferschtman, and has performed as soloist with various major orchestras in and outside The Netherlands, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic. Her recital in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in 2017 marked the successful beginning of her collaboration with pianist Enrico Pace. Ever since the first Cello Biënnale in 2006, she has performed at the festival regularly as soloist, including in concertos by Vieuxtemps and Korngold. At the Cello Biënnale 2018, one of her performances included the world premiere of Glacier, a solo cello piece composed for her by Jacob ter Veldhuis.  Quirine plays a cello by Joseph Guarnerius Fillius Andrea from 1715, made available to her by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.  

Nicolas Altstaedt

German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt studied at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” with Boris Pergamenschikow and later with Eberhard Feltz. He is also a conductor and the Artistic Director of various festivals.  Altstaedt enjoys playing contemporary music and has performed works by composers such as Thomas Adès, Fazil Say, Jörg Widmann, Matthias Pintscher, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Helena Winkelman. New concertos have recently been composed for him by Anders Hillborg, Márton Illés, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Liza Lim. His interpretations and performances of Baroque and classical music are unparallelled; as a soloist in J.S. Bach’s solo suites as well as in collaboration with lutist Thomas Dunford and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau, and with Ensemble Arcangelo in their recording of the complete cello concertos by C.P.E. Bach and Boccherini. In 2018, Nicolas Altstaedt was the Artist in Spotlight at the Concertgebouw, and has been the Artistic Director of the Internationales Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus since 2012, succeeding Gidon Kremer. He has also been the Artistic Director and conductor of the Haydn Philharmonie since 2014.

Laura van der Heijden

Laura van der Heijden, British cellist with Dutch roots, has recently received great reviews of her most recent CD recording with English music, including Walton’s cello concerto; the concerto with which she won the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2012, aged 15. Her earlier CD recordings were received with similar enthusiasm, such as the CD 1948 on which she plays Russian music with pianist Petr Limonov, and the CD Pohádka, which included music of Janáček and Kodály, with pianist Jâms Coleman. Collaborations with her fellow musicians are of the utmost importance to Laura; she regularly takes part in international chamber music courses and festivals. She is a member of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective and frequently performs with the Brodsky Quartet.  Laura van der Heijden was a student of the renowned British-Russian cellist Leonid Gorokhov, and she has regularly took part in masterclasses with David Geringas, Ralph Kirshbaum, and Miklós Perényi. Laura plays a late 17th-Century cello by Francesco Ruggieri from Cremona, on loan from a private collection.

Frans Helmerson

Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson (1945) started his musical education with Guido Vecchi in Gothenburg and later studied with Giuseppe Selmi in Rome and William Pleeth in London. He has performed as a soloist in the US, South America, Asia, and Europe with numerous international orchestras. His passion for chamber music makes him a beloved guest at major European music festivals. He was also the Artistic Director of the International Chamber Music Festival Umeå -Korsholm for a significant amount of time. In 2002, he founded the Michelangelo String Quartet with Mihaela Martin, Stephan Picard, and Nobuko Imai. In addition to his career as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor, Helmerson is a renowned pedagogue. He is currently a professor at the Kronberg Academy in Germany and gives masterclasses all over the world. Frans Helmerson plays a cello by Domenico Montagna (1690-1750).

Benjamin Glorieux

Benjamin Glorieux started his cello lessons with Jan Van Kelst. He went on to study with Vivian Spanoghe and Jeroen Reuling in Ghent and Brussels. Thanks to an Erasmus scholarship, Benjamin travelled to Geneva to study with François Guye and shortly after, he was accepted into the Musikhochschule in Cologne to receive lessons from the Alban Berg Quartet, among others. He was greatly inspired by lessons from the Danel Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Hagen Quartet, Artemis Quartet, and cellists Gary Hoffman and Roel Dieltiens. Benjamin Glorieux is one of those versatile musicians who is at home in centuries-old music as much as he is in contemporary classical music. He has performed with jazz musicians and has been a part of various theatre productions. He is the Artistic Director of Aton' & Armide, a collective with a flexible setting.  As a composer, Benjamin mainly composes and publishes music for cello solo, sometimes in a dialogue with pre-recorded and edited tapes. Together with pianist Anthony Romaniuk, Benjamin explores the cello repertoire from classicism to modernism, on the basis of authentic instruments.

Stefano Bruno

Stefano Bruno (2000, Italy) is a laureate of numerous international competitions. At age 18, he won the 1st prize at the VIII International Cello Competition “David Popper” in Hungary. In 2022, he won the First Prize at the National Cello Competition. Stefano studied at the Conservatory in Foggia, Italy. He continued his studies with Giovanni Gnocchi in Bologna and with Francesco Dillon and Paolo Bonomini in Fiesole. In the past years, Stefano Bruno has been studying at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome with Giovanni Sollima and at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in the class of Pieter Wispelwey. He concluded his studies summa cum laude at both institutions. In 2022, he made his debut in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, with a solo recital in the Kleine Zaal as well as in Elgar’s Cello Concerto conducted by Ed Spanjaard in the Grote Zaal. Stefano is a passionate chamber musician. He is a member of the Trio Eidos (piano trio), the duo Greci-Bruno (duo violin and cello), Ensemble Opificio Sonoro (ensemble for contemporary music) and regularly gives cello and piano recitals with Daniël Kramer. Stefano plays a cello made by Rene Jacquemin between 1925 and 1930 in Mirecourt.

Leonard Elschenbroich

Leonard Elschenbroich (Frankfurt, 1985) was ten years old when he received a scholarship to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London. We went on to study with Frans Helmerson at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. Elschenbroich received the Leonard Bernstein Award at the opening of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival 2009, following his performance of Brahms’ Double Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. He has since been praised as one of the most charismatic cellists of his generation. Elschenbroich has commissioned works by composers such as Mark-Anthony Turnage, Luca Lombardi, Arlene Sierra, and Suzanne Farrin. At the Proms in London, he gave the world premiere of Mark Simpson’s Cello Concerto, which was composed specially for him. Elschenbroich also gave the world premiere of Willem Jeths’ second Cello Concerto at the Cello Biënnale in 2022. In 2012, he co-founded the Orquesta Filarmonica de Bolivia, the first orchestra to perform a Mahler symphony in the country’s history. Elschenbroich regularly returns to Bolivia to lead educational projects and develop orchestras. This led Elschenbroich to start exploring conducting with various orchestras; for example, the Residentie Orchestra in 2021, which premiered a new cello concerto by Joël Bons under his baton, with Lidy Blijdorp as soloist. Leonard Elschenbroich plays the Matteo Goffriller 'Ex-Leonard Rose-Ex-Alfredo Piatti' cello (Venice, 1693), on private loan.

Candida Thompson

Candida Thompson graduated in 1989 with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Lonodn as a student of David Takeno, and continued her education at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She has led string orchestras in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. She has performed in chamber settings with musicians such as Isaac Stern, Bruno Giuranna, Frans Helmerson, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, and at festivals including the Kuhmo Festival (Finland), the Gubbio Festival (Italy), and the Delft Chamber Music Festival. She forms the Hamlet Piano Trio with cellist Xenia Jankovic and pianist Paolo Giacometti. She has been the concertmaster of Amsterdam Sinfonietta since 1995, and their Artistic Director since 2003. Candida plays a Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744) kindly on loan from a private collector.

CvA Symfonieorkest

The Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory of Amsterdam has played an important part at many editions of the Cello Biënnale. Under the baton of Tan Dun, the orchestra gave a historic performance of The Map, Tan Dun’s multimedia ‘cello concerto’. The orchestra also gave the world premiere of Richard Rijnvos’ Barbara Baccante, has given various Dutch premieres, and has performed with soloists such as Mischa Maisky, Nicolas Altstaedt, and Frans Helmerson. Additionally, the orchestra has accompanied the three finalists of the National Cello Competition numerous times. This year they will do the same: under Leonard Elschenbroich, the orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations three times at the Final Round.

Residentie Orkest

Orchestra

Phion

Phion was born from Het Gelders Orkest and Orkest van het Oosten (Netherlands Symphony Orchestra). Both these orchestras had a rich history, that of Het Gelders Orkest going back as far as 1889 (!). The East of The Netherlands has thus been served exceptionally well for decades by high-level orchestra musicians and conductors such as Jaap van Zweden, Jan Willem de Vriend, Marin Sieghart, and Ed Spanjaard. Since 2020, Otto Tausk has been the chief conductor of Phion.  In 2022, Phion gave its first performance at the Cello Biënnale with Anastasia Kobekina and Kian Soltani in Dmitri Kabalevsky’s two cello concertos.

Nederlands Kamerorkest

The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, led by master violinist Gordan Nikolić, is a small and intimate orchestra of 25 to 45 musicians and performs dozens of times a year in Amsterdam – mainly in the Concertgebouw, but also in the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and in other concert halls in The Netherlands and abroad. Additionally, the orchestra does not shy away from less conventional venues: the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra regularly sells out Paradiso with concerts featuring 20th-Century composers such as Mahler and Stravinsky. As a regular orchestral partner of the National Opera, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra are internationally considered two of the best opera orchestras.

Het Muziek

Het Muziek (previously Asko|Schönberg) is one of the most renowned groundbreaking ensembles for contemporary music. Their most important pillars are quality, experimentation, and innovative programming with an eye for current affairs. With a rich network of musicians, conductors, composers, versatile young creators, and partners from various artistic disciplines, Asko|Schönberg contributes to the future of performing arts. Their focus lies on the stimulation and creation of new work by today’s creators. From its homebase in Amsterdam, the ensemble operates all over the world. Their performances in concert halls, festivals, and interdisciplinary shows feature the top repertoire by the great 20th-Century composers as well as the most contemporary 21st-Century work, with an emphasis on pieces by living composers.  Asko|Schönberg has given numerous premieres and performances of rarely played cello concertos at previous editions of the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Amsterdam Sinfonietta was founded in 1988 with Lev Markiz as the first Artistic Director. Candida Thompson has been the orchestra’s concertmaster since 1995 and became the Artistic Director in 2003. Throughout the past decades, Amsterdam Sinfonietta has grown into a regular guest at European concert halls and festivals. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has played a prominent role at the Cello Biënnale since the first edition in 2006, often giving world premieres of pieces by composers such as Dobrinka Tabakova, Pēteris Vasks, and David Lang.  Amsterdam Sinfonietta is characterised by its innovative programming. In addition to the core string repertoire, the orchestra brings original and exciting combinations of pieces, connects early and contemporary music, well-known and unknown repertoire. The orchestra commissions compositions and arrangements. It enters into unexpected collaborations and performs groundbreaking programmes, often including film, dance, and theatre. Amsterdam Sinfonietta has recorded various CDs under the label BIS, including Mendelssohn’s complete string symphonies, as well as 14 CDs since 2004 under their regular label Channel Classics, including The Mahler Album, The Argentinian Album, Lento Religioso, a collection of short arrangements for string orchestra, and Formidable, a collection of French chansons with baritone Thomas Oliemans. The orchestra has also recorded under the labels ECM, Sony Classical, and Deutsche Grammophon. Their first classical music film Strings saw its premiere in March 2020, followed by the releases of the films Misirlou (traditional), Atashgah (Jacobsen), and Tango (Piazzolla).

Annie Tångberg

Annie Tångberg studied musicology at the University of Oslo and pedagogy at the Barratt Due Institute of Music. In 1995, she came to the Netherlands to study at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where she received her Master’s degree in chamber music. Annie is a musical omnivore, and that shows in the versatility of the groups in which she plays: the Metropole Orchestra, the Sonja van Hamel Band, Elastic Jargon, the West Side Trio, Duo Percucello and Trio Hoorncomfort and, of course, Metrocelli. She has played music for various silent films at the Eye film museum, and she regularly composes new music. At the Cello Biënnale in 2022, she was a soloist in Bill Laurance’s new double concerto and she made the arrangements for the Tango Evening. Annie plays an English cello built around 1840, on loan from the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation. 

Giovanni Sollima

Giovanni Sollima (Palermo, 1962) studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and Antonio Janigro, and composition with his father and Milko Kelemen. He is a true cello virtuoso and a remarkable composer. He communicates through music that is full of Mediterranean rhythms and typically Italian melodies, and he covers all style periods; from the ‘Jura of the Cello’ – as he calls the Baroque period – to metal. Furthermore, he is a qualified researcher of the old Italian school of the cello. At the Biënnale in 2018, he presented a programme of music by Giovanni Battista Costanzi and in 2022, he performed the rediscovered Cello Concerto by Gaetano Ciandelli with the Orchestra of the 18th Century.  Giovanni Sollima mainly performs his own compositions and thus contributes heavily to the creation of new cello repertoire. His audience is extremely diverse and ranges from classical music connoisseurs to young metalheads. Giovanni Sollima plays a Francesco Ruggieri cello from 1679. At the Biënnale in 2018, Giovanni Sollima received the Anner Bijlsma Award.

Abel Selaocoe

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is a versatile musician. In addition to classical performances with orchestra or in chamber music formations, he plays with beatboxers, jazz musicians, and in folk and world music formations. Together with the English jazz bassist Ali McMath and the West African percussionist Dembele Sidiki, he forms Chesaba. In 2019, Abel Selaocoe was selected for Serious Music's Take Five – a development program for highly talented jazz composers and musicians from the United Kingdom. He has also won several awards, such as the Standard Bank Young Artists Award and the Sir Karl Jenkins Award. Abel is currently following a developmental program with Giovanni Sollima for cellists who want to do more than just playing the familiar repertoire very well, which was set up with the prize money of the Anner Bijlsma Award.