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Award Ceremony
Coosje Wijzenbeek
2026 Prize

On January 17, the Coosje Wijzenbeek Prize was awarded to the semifinalists of the 2026 Davina van Wely Prize. This special prize was established in memory of violin teacher Coosje Wijzenbeek (1948–2021). Thanks to this prize, the young violinists have the opportunity to further develop their musical and professional skills through special workshops and a concert performance, organized by Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds.

News
20 January 2026 by Indy de Vries

The winners!

Talented violinists aged 14 through 17 will compete for the Davina van Wely Prize during the Dutch Violin Competition. The semifinalists were announced two weeks ago. They will all win the Coosje Wijzenbeek Prize! Some of them play on an instrument from our collection:

  • Floor Kes
    Floor plays a Joseph Hijman violin from Amsterdam, 19th century, with a Grütter bow made in Amsterdam in 2006.

  • Alicia de Keulenaer
    Alicia plays a Bas Maas violin (Amsterdam, 2025) with a violin bow made by Daniel Ter Berg.

  • Eline van Dijk
    Eline has a Pique violin (Paris, 1797) and a Nürnberger bow (Markneukirchen, ca. 1950) on loan from the fund.

  • Sanne Lam
    Sanne plays a Willibrord Crijnen violin (Marseille, 2006) with an Eberle bow, made in Rotterdam.

  • Wendel de Bruijne – Best Performance Award
    Wendel plays a Belgian violin by an anonymous maker. She also has a Thomas Gerbeth violin bow and a Baroque bow by Tis Marang on loan.

On to the finals

Meanwhile, the semifinals have also taken place. Wendel de Bruijne, Eline van Dijk, and Katja Naegele have advanced to the finals. The finals will take place on Saturday, January 31, at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. We wish them the best of luck and hope they have a great time!

From left to right: Katja, Eline, Wendel

Photography: Maarten Mooiman

About the Prize

The Dutch Violin Competition, the Musical Instrument Fund, and the Coosje Wijzenbeek Foundation jointly established this biennial award. The form and content of the prize were based on distinctive elements from Coosje’s teaching practice. Coosje always emphasized that competitions for young talent should not be primarily about the prizes, but rather about the experience a competition provides. Partly because this age group corresponds to that of Coosje’s students, the Coosje Wijzenbeek Prize is awarded to all semifinalists of the Davina van Wely Prize.

Workshop Day and Performance

The young winners will receive an invitation to an exclusive Coosje Wijzenbeek Workshop Day featuring masterclasses on stage performance, personal leadership development, and photography. On behalf of the Musical Instrument Fund, these talented young musicians will also have the chance to take the stage. These concert performances give them the opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned during the preceding workshops. You can enjoy their performances during the lunchtime concerts at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ on March 26 and May 8, and at the Chamber Music Festival in Weesp on Saturday, April 11.

The lineup will be announced shortly. Keep an eye on our calendar.