Jean-Guihen Queyras

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.

Japanese pianist Noriko Yabe was born in Yokohama and received her first piano lessons at the age of six. Her talent was discovered soon after and it wasn’t long before she gave her first concerts. When she was twelve years old, she made her solo debut with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in the United States of America. After completing her studies at the Toho Gakuen High School and College of Music in Tokyo, she continued her education with Willem Brons at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she graduated in 2003. She has given concerts in Japan, The Netherlands, Slovakia, het Czech Republic, and the United States of America. Noriko is currently an accompanist at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, and she has been the accompanist at the International Holland Music Sessions’ Summer Academy (Bergen, NH) since 2004. She has been the principal accompanist for masterclasses from the first Cello Biënnale in 2006.