My name is Anton Spronk (1994) and I am a cellist. Since I was fifteen, I have had the privilege of playing various beautiful instruments from the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund.
The instrument I’m currently playing is a remarkable Vuillaume cello from 1865. I had the opportunity to try this instrument after winning the Cello Biennale in 2014—and I was immediately sold on it. Not only does the cello sound fantastic, but it also plays exceptionally smoothly and comfortably. That combination is rare. Moreover, the instrument has just the right balance between overtones (for solo playing) and tone color (warmth).
I was born in 1994 in Den Bosch. At the age of four, I began taking cello lessons from my father, Frank Spronk (cellist and double bassist). Eight wonderful years later, it was time for conservatory. Starting at age twelve, I studied with Monique Bartels—first in The Hague, later in Amsterdam. Over the years, Monique has always helped me select fantastic instruments from Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees abroad: in Zurich and Berlin.
Since 2015, I have experienced countless special moments with my Vuillaume cello: concert tours at home and abroad, competitions in Europe and Asia, and numerous international festivals. I have won various national and international prizes, including at the National Cello Competition (Cello Biennale Amsterdam), the PCC, and the International Mazzacurati Competition in Turin. In 2019, I won the Prix du Rotary at the Verbier Festival, and in 2021, the Dutch Classical Talent Award.
To perform at my best during these kinds of moments, it is invaluable to play an instrument that truly suits me. I am therefore incredibly grateful that the Music Instrument Fund has loaned me this cello.
Since 2024, I have been the concertmaster of the hr-Sinfonieorchester in Frankfurt—one of Germany’s top orchestras.
For more information and the current concert schedule:
