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Amsterdam Cellobiennial:
National Cello Competition

The National Cello Competition is a biennial competition for talented cellists up to age 28 who are active in the Dutch music scene. The first round of the competition will take place on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, 2026. During this competition, fifteen young cellists will have the opportunity to perform for an international jury over the course of three rounds. Five of them will play on an instrument and/or bow provided by the Musical Instrument Fund. Admission to the first round is free, so be sure to come along!

Scheduled concerts
Date
30 – 31 October 2026
Time
Location
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ ▶ Piet Heinkade 5, Amsterdam
Website
cellobiennale.nl
Free entrance

Musicians

The following talented musicians are participating in the National Cello Competition and are playing an instrument and/or bow provided by the Musical Instrument Fund:

  • Jurre Koopmans plays a cello built by Thomas Meuwissen (Brussels, 2008) and a Werner bow from Bubenreuth, on loan from the Musical Instrument Fund.

  • Andrej van Brakel plays with a cello bow made by C. Jochen Schmidt in Dresden (1997), from the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund.

  • Michal Riefeld plays a cello by Benjamin I Banks (Salisbury, 1785) and a Voirin bow (Paris, ca. 1870), on loan from the Musical Instrument Fund.

  • Joshua Hassler-Forest plays a cello built by Daniël Royé in Amsterdam (2018), with an anonymous cello bow from the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund.

  • Douwe Eisses has a cello from around 1865 and a bow from Mirecourt on loan from the Musical Instrument Fund. The makers of both the cello and the bow are unknown.

Competition Coaches

Charlotte Gulikers, cello
Daniël Kramer, piano

Program

Giovanni Battista Cirri: Sonata No. 5 in G minor
Karmit Fadael: Circle for solo cello
David Popper: Mazurka

The announcement of the participants in the Second Round will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Foyerdek 1.

maps

Would you like to attend this exciting first round of the National Cello Competition? You can! Admission is free. For more information, visit the website of the Cello Biennale Amsterdam.

Free entrance