Prize-winning students 2011

Yori Swart, CvA pop music graduate, has won the 'Grote Prijs van Nederland', a major pop music competition in the Netherlands. Bass player David Stapel and drummer Paul Bos of the band Evant Garden won the MCN prize for best musicians. 

The Dudok Kwartet has won first prize at the First International String Quartet Competition in Radom (Poland). The quartet competed with eight other string quartets, hailing from Switzerland, Ukraine and Poland. The first prize consists of a collection of scores from 20th-century Polish string quartets and an amount of € 6000,-.
The Dudok Kwartet is formed by Judith van Driel, violin; Marleen Wester, violin; Mark Mulder, viola, and David Faber, cello. Judith, Marleen and David are CvA alumni.

Yi-Chang Liang, recorder student with Erik Bosgraaf, has won second prize at the Moeck International Recorder Competition in London.

Ensemble Odyssee - Anna Stegmann, recorder; Agnieszka Swiatkowska, baroque violin; Lucy Scotchmer, baroque cello; Andrea Friggi, harpsichord - has won third prize at the Van Wassenaer Concours. Three of the members are CvA students: Anna en Agnieska graduated from the Early music Department in 2010 and Andrea studies basso continuo in the master’s degree programme.

On October 30, Dineke Nauta won first prize at the National Final organized by the Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland (SJNM, a foundation for young talents). Dineke is first-year student with Arno Bornkamp. Oxana Thijssen, who studies harp at the Sweelinck Academy, also won first prize. Sweelinck Academie student Benjamin de Boer, double bass, won second prize.

Olga Paschenko has won first prize at the First International Fortepiano Competition of the Anton Bruckner Private University at Schloss Kremsegg, Austria. Olga studies fortepiano with Richard Egarr.

On 22 October 2011 cellist Amke te Wies (17) won first prize at the National Competition organized by the Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland (a foundation for young talents). Amke studies with Maarten Mostert at the Sweelinck Academy, the study programme for young talents at the CvA. Cellist Alexander Warenberg, cello, (13) also won first prize. Alexander studies at the Sweelinck Academy with Monique Bartels. Cellists Emma Kroon (17, preliminary training), and Pieter de Koe (17, Sweelinck Academy), both won second prizes.

On 5 November pianist Didel Bish, and violinist Amarins Wierdsma won the first prize at the Chamber Music Competition in Hoorn.

Lendvai String Trio (Nadia Wijzenbeek, viool, Ylvali Zilliacus, altviool en Marie MacLeod, cello) have won the 'Kersjesprijs 2011', an award of € 50.000. Nadia Wijzenbeek is a Conservatorium van Amsterdam graduate.

Piano student Viktor Yuandong Mattsson has won first prize  in July at the Carl Filtsch International Competition, a festival for young pianists and composers. Viktor studies with Naum Grubert in the first year of the bachelor’s degree programme.

Violinist Maria Milstein, who studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Ilya Grubert, has won second prize and the prize for best performance of a 19th-century sonata at the International Violin Competition 'Premio Rodolfo Lipizer' in Italy. In the final she played the Sibelius Violin Concerto as well as the first movement of the violin concerto by Chatsjaturian. Please click here to view video's of Maria's performance in all three rounds.

Fortepianist Anthony Romaniuk has won first prize in the Westfield International Fortepiano Competition in Ithaca, NY. The competition was chaired by Malcolm Bilson and the president of the jury was Robert Levin. The prize includes about ten solo concerts across the USA next season, including the Boston Early Music Festival and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Also there will be a solo concert in next year's Utrecht Early Music Festival. Anthony Romaniuk graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam’s Early Music Department in June 2011.
Click here for footage of Anthony's performance in the final.

Singer-songwriter Yori Swart has won the Sena Performers POPnl Award 2011, a competition for the thirteen winners of local pop awards, who perform before a jury of pop venue programmers. The band or musician who gets the most bookings, wins the award: CvA graduate Yori Swart has won a tour throughout the Netherlands.

Jacopo Brusa, master's degree organ student with Pieter van Dijk, has won the second prize at the 7th Fano Adriano International Organ Competition.

Stefan Donner, organ student with Jacques van Oortmerssen, has won the third prize at the Dublin International Organ Competition 2011. Of the three finalists, he was the youngest. The competition was held on three different organs.
Stefan Donner studied in the 2010-2011 school year in the exchange programme Vienna/Amsterdam and will be studying in the master's degree programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam as well.

CvA-alumna Charlotte Marck has won the second prize at the International Schnitger Organ Competition in Alkmaar, on June 24th. Charlotte graduated from the CvA master's degree programme, where she studied with Pieter van Dijk, in 2010. Now she is studying Claviorganum with Wolfgang Zerer, Menno van Delft and Pieter van Dijk in Hamburg.

On May 29, Sweelinck Academy guitar students have won prizes at the European Guitar Teachers' Association competition in the Netherlands. Krisna Pijloo (14) won the first prize in the category 14-17 years of age. Prawira Pijloo won the second prize in the category up to and including 12 years of age, and Woo Bang (15) won the 'Van Vossenprijs' and the audience prize.

The Berlage Saxophone Quartet has won the first prize of € 3000,- and the audience prize of € 1000,-. at the second International OnWings! Competition in Groningen (the Netherlands) on May 22. All members of the Berlage Saxophone Quartet have studied with Arno Bornkamp.

The Van Baerle Trio (pianist Hannes Minnaar, violinist Maria Milstein and cellist Gideon den Herder, who studied with Jan Wijn, Ilja Grubert and Monique Bartels) have won the Vriendenkrans Concours on May 8. The trio also received the 'Radio4 Talent of the Year' award. The jury was impressed by their wonderful ensemble sound, the mature playing and the high artistic level.

CvA student saxophonist Jasper van Damme is one of the finalists of the 2011European Jazz Competition 2011.

Former Sweelinck Academy student Tosca Opdam has won the first prize at the Oskar Back violin competition on April 28th. She won the ‘Kramer-van Zweden’ prize of € 16.000,-.
Master's degree violin student Sjaan Oomen won the third prize, a scholarship of € 5.000,-.

The Van Baerle Trio, formed by Hannes Minnaar, piano, Maria Milstein, violin, and Gideon den Herder, cello, (all CvA alumni, having studied with Jan Wijn, Ilya Grubert and Monique Bartels) have won the first prize, the audience prize and two other special prizes at the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition on April 22nd.
President of the jury was Menahem Pressler, other jury members were Claus-Christian Schuster (pianist with the Altenberg Trio), Joseph Silverstein (violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra), Raphael Pidoux (cellist with Trio Wanderer) and Enrico Bronzi (cellist with Trio di Parma). The concert has been ercorded by France Musique,and will be broadcast on May 14th at 12.30 p.m. 

Prawira Pijloo (11) and WooBang (14) have both won a first prize at the regional preliminary round of the EGTA guitar competition in Rotterdam. Prawira Pijloo won the first prize in the age group up to and including 12 years of age, and Woo Bang won the first prize in the age group up to and including 17 years of age. Prawira and Woo both study with Lex Eisenhardt at the Sweelinck Academy.

Violin student Svenja Staats (14), viool, has won the first prize at the national final of the Prinses Christina Concours in the category 12-14 years of age. Again she also won the Audience Prize.

Anna Stegmann, recorder student with Paul Leenhouts, has won the 'Link-prijs 2011'. The prize amounts to € 1.000,- and a concert in the next season.

Violin student Svenja Staats (14), is one of the eight finalists to participate in the national final of the Prinses Chrstina Concours. On April 2nd, she was one of the thirty young musicians who played in the semi-final. She also won the Audience Prize.

The Berlage Saxophone Quartet has won a grant at the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb 2011 in Berlin. This grant will enable the quartet to give concerts throughout Germany in the 2012-2013 season. All members have studied with Arno Bornkamp.

The French guitarist Wilfried Wilde has won the European Soloist Final of the Keep an Eye Jazz Award. Drummer Tony Vitacollona won the second prize. The third prize was awarded to the talented guitarist Espen Bjarnar from Norway. Winner of the bhe band final on March 31st was the Daniel Mester Quartet. The prize for Best Composition was awarded to Caspar van Wijk, member of the Van Wijk / Derudder Quartet. 

Svenja Staats (14), violin student with Johannes Leertouwer at the Sweelinck Academy, has won the second prize at the eighth International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competition in Poznan, Poland. Additionally she won the Telemann Prize for the best performance of the required work, one of the twelve Telemann fantasies for solo violin. Svenja was the only Dutch participant, the other participants hailing from Poland, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Ukraine.

Ilonka Kolthof (1987), flute, and Anna Stegmann (1983), recorder, zijn have been selected to participate in the final for the Link prize 2011. The Linkprize is a prize for performers of contemporary music.

The Seldom Sene quintet (formed by former recorder students Stephanie Brandt, Ruth Dyson, Eva Gemeinhardt, Hester Groenleer and María Martínez Ayerza) have won the Interpretation Prize of € 3000,- at the Illzach Chamber Music Competition in March 2011.

Anna-Magdalena den Herder (1988) has won the Second National Viola Competition. In the final she played works by Hindemith, Schumann and Enescu. The jury was unanimous in their judgment. Hannah Strijbos (1989) and Chaim Steller (1983) shared the second prize.

Emma Roijackers (15), violin, and Florian Verweij (13), piano, have won the second prize at the Prinses Christina Competition in Maastricht in age group 2 (15-19 years of age).

Svenja Staats (14), violin student Johannes Leertouwer at the Sweelinck Academy, has won the first prize in age group 1 (12-14 years of age) at the Prinses Christina Competition. She won the masterclass prize - a class with a renowned Dutch musician - and will perform at the semi-final in April 2.
Richard Chang (15), piano student at the Sweelinck Academy, won de second prize in age group 2 (15-19 years of age).

The Berlage Saxophone Quartet has won the Jury prize as well as the Audience prize at the Storioni Festival Competition January 27th in 's-Hertogenbosch. All members are studying or have studied with Arno Bornkamp at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.  

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