First Round

Charlotte Gulikers (1995) started playing the cello at eight years old. In 2009, she was accepted into the Young Talent department of the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, where she studied with Lucia Swarts and Dmitry Ferschtman. She went on to study with Maarten Mostert at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2018 and, two years later, her Master’s degree as a student of Pieter Wispelwey. She finished her studies with Antonio Meneses in Bern. Since 2019, Charlotte has been a member of the international Theresia Orchestra, an orchestra specialising in classical repertoire played on authentic instruments. Charlotte Gulikers plays on a Cornelis Weel cello, built in 1853 in Utrecht.

From a young age, Daniël Kramer received lesson from Ton Hartsuiker. He went on to study at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Håkon Austbø, where he received his Master’s degree with distinction. He also received lessons from Rudolf Jansen, Willem Brons, Murray Perahia, and Claude Helffer, among others. He won prizes at the Prinses Christina Concours in 1994,  Concorso Seghizzi in 2008, and the Concours Olivier Messiaen in Paris in 2007.  His performances as a soloist include concerts with the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic conducted by Peter Eötvös, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by Werner Herbers, and the Netherlands Youth Orchestra conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw. He has collaborated with various composers, such as George Benjamin, Louis Andriessen, Toshio Hosokawa, and Sofia Gubaidulina, and has premiered numerous contemporary works.  Daniël Kramer is the principal accompanist of the National Cello Competition and has given many concerts with laureates. He recently collaborated with Eline Hensels, the winner of the competition in 2018, to record a CD which was recently nominated for an Edison.