Prize-winning students 2008

Composition student Juan de Dios Magdaleno (Mexico) has won the first prize at the International Composers’ Competition ‘Lutoslawski Award 2008’ for his composition for violin and piano. (16-12-2008)

Singer/songwriter Fabiana Dammers, who studies at the CvA Pop Music Department, has won the ‘Grote Prijs van Nederland’, a major Dutch pop music award, in the category ‘singer/songwriter’. The band Two Way Radio, with guitarist Flip van Schil and bassist Maarten van Es, both third-year pop music students, has won the first prize in the category 'pop/rock'. Guitarist Marnix Dorrestein, first-year student, has won the musicians' prize in the same category (16-12-2008)

Guitarist Philip Czarnecki has won the forist prize at the Prinses Christina Jazz Competition 2008 in Category 3 ‘Conservatory’. In Category 2 ’16-20 years old’ singer Doeshka Vrede won the second prize. Quintet Diggedyshweng?, formed by first-year CvA students, received an honourable mention in Category 3.

Claudia Rumondor has won the Henriette Bosmans audience prize (€ 1000,-) for her work Tenaga Dalam. Einar Torfi Einarsson won the jury prize (€ 2000,-). The Henriette Bosmans Prizes are awarded every year to young promising composers. (11-11-2008)

Pianist Hannes Minaar has won the second prize (premier nommé) at the international Concours de Genève. A first prize was not awarded. Hannes Minnaar also won the audience prize and the ‘Prix Mandarin Oriental’. Only three Dutch pianists have reached the competition’s finals since its origin in 1939. Former prize-winners are a.o. Martha Argerich, Sir Georg Solti, Maurizio Pollini (second prize), Christian Zacharias (second prize) en Pierre-Laurent Aimard (second prize). (4-11-2008)

 Violinist Ksenia Beltsiukova, who studies with Ilya Grubert, and the piano duo Lestari Scholtes (former student with Jan Wijn) and Gwylim Janssens have been selected for the Vriendenkrans Concours/Het Debuut tour & competition programme. The finalists have each received a grant amounting to EUR 5000,-, which will finance their personal study programmes. Furthermore, the candidates will tour the ten major concert halls in The Netherlands. The final will be on May 9th, 2010, when a winner will be selected. (4-11-2008)
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Pianist Hannes Minaar has won the second prize ('premier nommé') at the international Concours de Genève. The first prize was not awarded. Additionally, Hannes Minnaar won the audience prize and the 'Prix Mandarin Oriental'. (4-11-2008)
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Jazz singer Sabine Kuelich has won the 2008 Montreux Jazz Prize.

At the International BargaJazz Festival 2008 in Italy, composer, arranger and guitarist Vladimir Nikolov has won the first prize for his arrangement of a composition by Dave Liebman. In 2005 and 2003 he also won the first prize at this festival. (30-9-2008)

Violinist Lisa Jacobs has won the 2008 Grachtenfestival Prize on August 20th at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. (10-9-2008)

Pop music student Fabiana Dammers has made the semi-final of the Grolsch Grote Prijs van Nederland for singer/songwriters. (10-9-2008)

Saeko Oguma, viola student with Marjolein Dispa, Nobuko Imai and Sven Arne Tepl, has won the second prize at the International Brahms Competition 2008 (3-9-2008)

Sabine Wüthrich has won the first prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Canto Solistico Seghizzi in Gorizia, Italy. She also won the prize for the best performance of a (Die Forelle by Schubert) and the prize for the best competition programme. Het accompanist Daniel Kramer won the prize for best pianist. (26-8-2008)

Saxophonist Robin Verheijen, CvA alumnus, has won the Belgian Django d'Or Jong Talent-Jeugd en Muziek Jazzprijs 2008. (13-8-08)

Lestari Scholtes (23) and Gwylim Janssens (23) have won  the Ravel Award for their performance of Ravel?s La Valse at the IBLA Grand Prize 2008 international music competition. The piano duo received the highest acclaim for their performance of works by Lutoslawksi, Schubert and Ravel at two pianos and piano à quatre mains. Lestari Scholtes has studied with Jan Wijn and graduated from the master?s degree programme in June 2008. (13-8-08)

Srdjan Ivanovic Blazin? Quartet have won the Dutch Jazz Competition 2008 at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2008. Mihail Ivanov, the quartet?s bass player, also won the NORMA Prize for Best Soloist 2008. (13-8-08)

Ilonka Kolthof has won the first prize for flute at the annual music competition organized by Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland. Loes van den Hoven won the first prize for trumpet. (24-6-08).

Trio Lumaka (Martina Fiori, viola; Miriam Overlach, harp; Jana Machalett, flute) have won the fifth prize (out of eighty participants) at the International Chamber Music Competition Gaetano Zinetti (Italy) (3-6-08).

The Jazzmania Bigband, conducted by Peter Guidi, has won the National Bigband Competition 2008 (3.6.08).

Jazz drummer Srdjan Ivanovic, former CvA student, has won the Holland Casino Talent Jazz Pop Award. (3-6-08)

Poly Quartet, with jazz piano student Kostas Yaxoglou and trumpetist Andreas Polyzogopoulos, have won the final of the Motives for Jazz Competition and have been awarded with a place in the Motives for Jazz programme next year. (28-5-08)

Jazz piano student Kostas Yaxoglou and trumpetist Andreas Polyzogopoulos, who recently graduated from the CvA, have reached the final of the Play Festival in Hasselt, Belgium, with their band Poly Quartet. Poly Quartet also recently made their first album, called Perfumed Dreams, with nine compositions by Andreas Polyzogopoulos.
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. (16-5-08)

Singer Esra Dalfidan and pianist Gideon van Gelder have qualified themselves for the Deloitte Jazz Award 2008 final on June 11 at the Bimhuis (8-5-08)

Rie Kimura, baroque violin student with Lucy van Dael, has won the second prize for solo in the 22nd Yamanashi Early Music Competition, Japan. The second prize was shared with another violinist; no first prize was awarded. (29-4-08)

Jazz guitarist Reinier Baas has won the first William Singer Award in Laren. Members of the jury were Dick Visser, Eric Vaarzon Morel and Jesse van Ruller. (29-4-08)

Composition student Abel Paúl has recently won the '2008 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award Competition' in the USA with his composition Fragmentos del vértigo.
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(29-4-08)

Christian Pabst, jazz piano student with Rob van Bavel, has won the second prize at the International Jazz competition ?Biberacher Jazzpreis 2008? in Germany with his trio. The drummer, Andreas Klein, is also studying at the CvA.

Julia Oschewsky & Band and Renske Taminiau & Band have reached the final of the Amersfoort Jazz Talent Award 2008. The bands will compete for the first prize on May 18 at the Rabobank Jazzfestival in Amersfoort. (22-4-08)

Three CvA alumni nominated for the Deloitte Jazz Award 2008

Vocalist Esra Dalfidan, pianist Gideon van Gelder, who both graduated in 2007, and alto saxophonist Paul van der Feen, who graduated in 2003, have been nominated for the Deloitte Jazz Award 2008. They will play, together with three other nominees, a semi-final in Comedy/Jazzclub Toomler in Amsterdam on May 6, when three finalists will be selected for the final on June 11. The winner will receive a prize of EUR 20.000; the two others will receive EUR 2.500,-.

CvA cello student Steven Bourne (19) has been chosen to represent The Netherlands at Eurovision Young Musicians 2008 in Vienna, an international music competition which will be broadcast in many European countries. (25-3-08)

On March 8, violinist Rosa Arnold won the third prize, which amounts to EUR 1500,-, at the Helen Dowling Violin Competition. (18-3-08)

On March 8, duo Sax & Stix, formed by CvA students Eva van Grinsven, saxophone, and Ramon Lormans, percussion, won the 59th 'Vriendenkrans' Competition. Additionally, Sax & Stix won the Berhard Haitink Fund Prize for young talents, which amounts to EUR 5.000, and which will enable them to receive chamber music tuition from members of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. (13-3-08)

Mina Choi, organ student in the master's degree programme with Pieter van Dijk, has won the first prize at the 'Max Reger' organ competition in Leeuwarden (The Netherlands). She played two compositions by Reger, Benedictus Indes from op. 59 and Fantasie op. 135b. (12-3-08)

16-year-old pianist Sophia Simsive, student with Mila Baslawaskaja, has won the 2008 Yamaha Competition. Out of thirty candidates, nine pianists had been selected for the final, which took place at the CvA building. (5-3-2008)

Four CvA bands nominated for Amersfoort Jazz talent Award 2008
Of the six bands that are nominated for this award, four are formed by (former) CvA students. Out of 32 applications the jury had to choose six bands for the three nomination concerts. Only three bands will take part in the final on the Amersfoort Jazzfestival on the 18th of May. The CvA nominees are:

* Julia Oschewsky & Band (also known as JaZZesT) are again nominated for the Amersfoort Jazz Talent Award. Already last year JaZZesT attracted lots of attention and won the second prize! News about the dates of concerts and the results will be published on www.jazzest.de.

* Elek3city (Rumania/Amsterdam). A funky band led by clarinttist Alex Simu, who puts electronics to an inventive use. His remarkable adaptation of John Coltrane's Impressions made a huge impression.

* Thomsen Group (Germany/Amsterdam). A powerful big band, whose twelve members play the difficult compositions written by baritone saxophonist Tini Thomsen effortlessly.

* Renske Taminiau & Band (Amsterdam/Rotterdam). Singer Taminiau sings her compositions beautifully, with an expressive voice. (20-2-08)

Violin students from the Sweelinck Academy (Young Talents class) have done very well at the Iordens Viooldagen 2008. Matthijs van der Wel (11) won the first prize in age group A (10-12 years old) and Shin Sihan (13) the first prize in age group B (13-15 years old). Elisa Karen Tavenier (11) won the third prize in age group A. Caspar Horsch and Janine van Amsterdam both won a violin masterclass. (7-2-08)

Violin student Gerard Spronk (Young Talents class) has won the first prize and audience prize at the 'Prinses Christina Concours Zuid 1' in Den Bosch (The Netherlands). Tine van den Geest, saxophone, won the second prize. (22-1-08)

Junior Eats Alone, a band formed by CvA student Rob Verbakel, has won the Dutch final of the American/European Bodog Music Battle of the Bands competition. On February 13 the band will compete in Copenhagen for a place in the European/American final. The prize: a 1 million dollar record deal. More information: www.junioreatsalone.com. (15-1-2008)

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