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TEN!

Nicolas Altstaedt, Annie Tångberg, Emile Visser, Pieter Wispelwey, Stefano Bruno, Nesrine, Chieko Donker Duyvis
Thu 31 Oct 20:15 - 22:15
Main Hall
Past event
Thu 31 Oct
20:15 - 22:15
Past event

Opening concert of the 10th Cello Biënnale Amsterdam 

Program

Nicolas Altstaedt and Thomas Dunford
Johann Paul von Westhoff Sonata no. 3 in d, Imitiatione della campana
Marin Marais Le Tourbillon
Henry Duparc Sonata in a: Lento
Erik Satie Gnossiènes no. 1
Marin Marais Grand Ballet
Paul McCartney Blackbird

Cello Octet Amsterdam
Arvo Pärt Silouan’s Song
Theo Loevendie Ibérica

Kris Berry, Annie Tångberg, Emile Visser and Mark Haanstra
A selection from Soulvolle songs

Pieter Wispelwey and Stefano Bruno
Reinhold Glière Duos opus 53

Nesrine, Chieko Donker Duyvis, Enkhjargal Dandarvaanchig, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble
Excerpts from Troubadours: de Zingende Strijkstok

Performers

Nicolas Altstaedt cello
Annie Tångberg cello
Emile Visser cello
Pieter Wispelwey cello
Stefano Bruno cello
Nesrine cello and voice
Chieko Donker Duyvis cello and voice
Thomas Dunford lute
Kris Berry voice
Mark Haanstra double bass
Enkhjargal Danarvaanchig morin khuur

Cello Octet Amsterdam: Alistair Sung, Claire Bleumer, Esther Torrenga, Geneviève Verhage, Rares Mihailescu, René van Munster, Sanne Bijker and Sanne van der Horst cello

Nederlands Blazers Ensemble

The anniversary edition of the Cello Biënnale is all about the unforgettable musical moments from previous editions, which we revisit during this edition. Together with well-known soloists such as Nicolas Altstaedt and Pieter Wispelwey as well as young talents Chieko Donker Duyvis and Stefano Bruno, we look forward to this special festival edition during the opening concert. What will this festival bring and which pearls will we add to the canon of the Biënnale? 

Cello Octet Amsterdam has been at every single Biënnale and will show us, through compositions by Arvo Pärt and Theo Loevendie heard in previous editions, why they are the world’s longest standing cello octet. Nesrine and Chieko Donker Duyvis star with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, which is enriched by other stringed instruments from every part of the world.

The soul of singer Kris Berry is embedded into the deep trio sound of cellists Annie Tångberg and Emile Visser with bassist Mark Haanstra. Pieter Wispelwey and his student Stefano Bruno, winner of the National Cello Competition 2022, enjoy the playful cello duets by Reinhold Glière. After the Prinsengrachtconcert 2022, Nicolas Altstaedt and lutist Thomas Dunford appear as a duo once again in Amsterdam.

This concert will be broadcast live in the NTR Avondconcert on NPO Klassiek.

Part of

Biënnale in pictures: day 1

Biënnale in Beeld: Dag 1 Fotograaf: Foppe Schut Programma
In pictures

Chieko Donker Duijvis

Chieko Donker Duyvis is a cellist, singer, and composer from Amsterdam with Brazilian and Japanese roots. Chieko is passionate about interdisciplinary projects and frequently collaborates with poets, dancers, and visual artists. She played a key role in the children’s show Familie Vermi-Celli at the Biënnale in 2022. She was the new ‘Jonge Maker’ (‘Young Maker’) at the Grachtenfestival in 2022, where several of her compositions were premiered and she was given the opportunity to incorporate her unconventional jazz, improvisation, classical music, Brazilian grooves and her own compositions in various settings. At this Biënnale, she will appear as a soloist with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, as well as with Chieko Collective in CELLOFEST.
Cellisten

Nesrine

Nesrine is an extremely versatile singer and cellist. A true musician of today, she combines influences from various genres including pop, rock, minimalism, and North African music. Originally educated as a classical cellist, she has played in Daniel Barenboim’s East Western Divan Orchestra and in Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana conducted by Lorin Maazel, but increasingly she began to explore other musical worlds. Nesrine can be described as a cultural allegory between the East and the West. She sings poetic texts in Arabian, English, and French. In 2018 she released her album Ahlam, which was received with great enthusiasm by international media. She has toured across Europe and has performed in venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie. She made her Cello Biënnale debut at the very first edition of CELLOFEST and performed with the Metropole Orchestra at the Biënnale 2022.  
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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. 
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Cello Octet Amsterdam

Cello Octet Amsterdam has been a regular guest at the Cello Biënnale since the first edition in 2006. The Cello Octet is an adventurous collective of cellists that specialises in new music and interdisciplinary performances. The Octet has become a renowned name in today’s contemporary music scene, in part thanks to collaborations with composers such as Philip Glass, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt, Theo Loevendie, Mauricio Kagel, Michael Gordon, and Kate Moore. After the premier of his first piece for the Octet, Arvo Pärt said: “The Octet is worth a fortune, I have discovered this ensemble 10 years too late.” The cellists of Cello Octet Amsterdam manifest not only as a close, world-class chamber music ensemble, but also as groundbreaking performers in shows such as Cellokrijgers (“Celo Warriors”), or as a rock band in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Cello Band. Driven by the conviction that musicians are at the centre of society and carry the responsibility to contribute to social discussions, the Octet regularly enters unique collaborations with composers, theatre makers, choreographers, and social organisations. Their shows Instant Happiness and Instant Love (co-production with Via Berlin) focused on current topics such as consumerism in society and human trafficking, and the Octet has recently been exploring themes like diversity and migration. Together with the Cello Biënnale, the Cello Octet developed the education project ‘de Bestorming’.  
Cellisten Ensembles

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.
Cellisten

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.
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Pieter Wispelwey

Pieter Wispelwey began his cello studies with Dicky Boeke and went on to study at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Anner Bijlsma, as well as in the United States with Paul Katz. In 1992, he was the first cellist to receive the Dutch Music Prize. Pieter Wispelwey feels at home on a modern cello just as much as on a Baroque cello. As a soloist, he performs all over the world with a remarkably broad range of repertoire. He has an impressive discography – he has recorded more than 30 CDs – which includes three recordings of Bach’s complete cello suites. In 2013, he released a CD with works by Schubert performed on authentic instruments, as well as a CD with Lalo’s cello concerto combined with Saint-Saëns’ rarely played second cello concerto. He currently teaches at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Pieter Wispelwey plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini made in 1760 and a Baroque cello made by Pieter Rombouts in 1710.
Cellisten

Nederlands Blazers Ensemble

The Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (NBE or Dutch Wind Ensemble) is a group of more than twenty top musicians who come together around eighty times per year to play unique programmes in The Netherlands as well as abroad. Driven by their shared passion and hunger for adventure, the NBE creates theatrical music programmes which can hardly ever be captured in a single musical term; the NBE combines contemporary and early music of all shapes and sizes in programmes that speak to the senses and the imagination. The NBE is always searching for interesting collaborations with musicians from other cultures and exciting combinations with other disciplines. Through their innovative programming, the NBE wants to surprise, capture, move, and stimulate a wide audience. In addition to the concert series at the Dutch venues, such as the Concertgebouw and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, NBE is also the ensemble that gives the well-known New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast every year on national TV by BNNVARA. The ensemble is also regularly asked for special events, including performances at state visits in India, Thailand, and Turkey, the famous London Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and the programming and performance of the Celebration of Thanks for H.R.H. Princess Beatrix in February 2014.
Ensembles

Kris Berry

Born in Curaçao in 1982, Kris Berry is a Dutch singer with Caribbean roots. Growing up, she was surrounded by many different styles of music, which strongly influenced her own sound. Berry launched her musical career with her debut album Marbles in 2012, a mix of jazz, soul, and Caribbean influences, which won her immediate success in the Dutch music scene. Her music is characterised by a warm, soulful voice and a versatile style combining element of jazz, blues, pop, and Latin. In 2013, she collaborated with singer-songwriter Perquisite to release the album Lovestruck Puzzles, which further increased her renown. Over the years, Berry has had numerous collaborations and remains a respected name in the Dutch music world. Her work is known for its deep emotion and displays a strong connection to her Caribbean roots, giving her music a unique flair.
Andere musici

Mark Haanstra

Mark Haanstra is a versatile bass player from The Netherlands. He studied bass at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where he graduated cum laude in 1997. His distinct sound, groove, and flexibility make him a highly demanded musician among bands, ensembles, and orchestras across many genres.  Mark has won various prizes, including at the Dutch Jazz Competition with the Nemesis Quartet (1994), Geel (1998), and Agog (2002). He has performed with various major ensembles such as the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nieuw Ensemble, and Asko|Schönberg. He is also the soloist in Steve Mackay’s Grammy Award-winning work Dreamhouse, which has been performed and recorded by several renowned orchestras such as the BBC and New York Philharmonic Orchestras.  Mark has an affinity with Indian music thanks to his studies of South Indian music and composition with Rafael Reina at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, and he went on to study with Indian musicians in South India.
Andere musici

Thomas Dunford

Thomas Dunford (Parijs,1988) werd op zijn negende op het spoor van de luit gezet door zijn eerste docent, Claire Antonini. In 2006 studeerde hij in zijn geboortestad af aan het Conservatoire de Paris bij Charles-Edouard Fantin en in 2009 aan de Schola Cantorum in Bazel bij Hopkinson Smith. Masterclasses volgde hij van onder anderen Rolf Lislevand, Julian Bream en Paul O’Dette. Zijn eerste podiumervaring deed Thomas Dunford op toen hij in de periode 2003–2005 de rol van luitist speelde in Shakespeares Twelfth Night aan de Comédie française. Recitals gaf hij sindsdien van Carnegie Hall en de Frick Collection in New York tot Wigmore Hall in Londen en het Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. Ook maakte hij zijn opwachting op de festivals van Ambronay, Nantes, Saintes en Utrecht en trad hij op in Brazilië, Colombia, Chili, Mexico, Israël, China, Japan en India. Naar aanleiding van zijn debuut-cd Lachrimae (2012) noemde BBC Magazine hem de ‘Eric Clapton van de luit’.  
Andere musici

Genevieve Verhage

Geneviève Verhage (1985) is a versatile cellist with a passion for chamber music, renowned for her musicality and strong personality. She is a co-founder of the Ragazze Quartet, where she was the cellist from 1999 to 2013. She is currently a member of Cello Octet Amsterdam and regularly performs with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Pynarello, and LUDWIG. In addition to classical concerts, Geneviève also gives theatre performances. She has toured with Orkater/Via Berlin, Oorkaan, the National Opera and Ballet, and Circus Treurdier, and has performed with LeineRoebana and Nynke Laverman & Sytze Pruiksma. Geneviève studied with Monique Bartels and Melissa Phelps at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the Royal College of Music in London. With the Ragazze Quartet, she also completed the full-time course of the Dutch String Quartet Academy studying with Stefan Metz and Marc Danel. She has received invaluable help in the development of her playing through masterclasses with Jean-Guihen Queyras, Bernard Greenhouse, Luc-Marie Aguera, and the Kronos Quartet, as well as with directors Ria Marks and Titus Tiel Groenestege. Geneviève plays a Hippolyte Silvestre cello from 1865, made available to her by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.
Cellisten