Anner Bijlsma Award

In celebration of the fifth Cello Biennale Amsterdam, an international oeuvre prize was established in 2014 to encourage education and talent development in the area of the cello. Once every four years, the prize is awarded to a person or institution that has shown exceptional merit for the cello and the cello repertoire. 

The award consists of a sculpture by the artist Elena Beelaerts van Blokland and a grant of 50,000 euros to be spent on education and talent development.

In 2014, the Award was given for the first time to the person after whom it was named: Anner Bijlsma; in 2018, the award was presented to Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima. The 2022 award presented to Jean-Guihen Queyras at the Opening Concert on 20 October.