Emma Kroon
cello
As a cellist, I’m active in a wide range of areas. I perform frequently with Pynarello, regularly play with (Dutch) symphony orchestras, and also give recitals and perform in solo and chamber music concerts. A versatile instrument is essential for all this beautiful music. Since May 2017, thanks to the Musical Instrument Fund, I have been playing a beautiful J.B. Cuypers cello from 1810. This cello has an incredibly beautiful, clear tone and a wide range of timbres. A fine instrument has its own character, and I’m convinced that this one matches mine perfectly!
When, in the summer of 2016, I had to return my instrument at very short notice to its private owner, the Musical Instrument Fund came to my rescue. At that time, few cellos from the collection were available, but I’m very happy that I was able to take an instrument home right away. I was even happier to hear that they would start looking for an even more beautiful cello. Since May 2017, I’ve been playing a beautiful J.B. Cuypers cello from 1810. This cello has an incredibly beautiful, clear tone and a wide range of timbres. Over the years, this cello has contributed immensely to my personal and professional development. Every day, it continues to challenge me, and I discover new sonic possibilities. A beautiful instrument has its own character, and I’m convinced that this one matches mine perfectly!
Emma Kroon (1994) began taking cello lessons when she was 4 years old. Four years later, she was accepted into the Young Talent Department of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where she studied with Monique Bartels. From 2007 to 2012, she studied with the same teacher at the Sweelinck Academy of the Conservatory of Amsterdam. There, she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2016 under Maarten Mostert, and went on to complete her master’s degree in 2019 under Dmitri Ferschtman. Emma was a cellist with the Dostoyevsky Quartet, with whom she studied at the NSKA and under the Hagen Quartet at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
Currently, Emma frequently performs as a substitute with ensembles such as the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. She is a member of the core ensemble of Pynarello and works as an artistic producer for the Cello Biennale Amsterdam.
Since 2005, Emma has won several prizes at the National Competition of the Young Music Talent Netherlands Foundation and the Princess Christina Competition. During the 2014 National Cello Competition, she reached the semifinals and was given the opportunity to take a master class with Prof. Laurence Lesser. This led to an invitation to the 2015 Orford Academy in Canada, where Emma took lessons with Prof. Lesser and performed in concerts during the festival. She also reached the semifinals at the 2018 International Janáček Cello Competition (Czech Republic).
In the summer of 2014, Emma was the soloist during the Haerlem Symphony Orchestra’s tour of Salzburg and Vienna. This was followed by several concerts with various orchestras in the Netherlands as a soloist.
Emma was principal cellist with the string orchestra the Fancy Fiddlers, conducted by Coosje Wijzenbeek. Since joining in 2004, she has performed in various ensembles, including as a soloist, throughout the Netherlands as well as in France, Switzerland, and Germany. She subsequently served as (deputy) concertmaster for ensembles including the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra, the European Youth Orchestra; she was an academist with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra from 2017 to 2019, followed by the Academy program with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (2020–2021). She has also performed at festivals such as the Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, the Utrecht International Chamber Music Festival, the Next Generation Festival (CH), the Orford Festival (CA), the CB Festival in Washington, D.C. (U.S.), and the Amsterdam Cello Biennale.
Emma took masterclasses with Richard Aaron, Anner Bijlsma, Malcolm Bilson, Gary Hoffman, Laurence Lesser, Jérôme Pernóo, and Pieter Wispelwey, among others. The Van de Ende Foundation supported her in this endeavor from 2011 to 2013. In 2015, the Niemeijer Fund and Arsdonandi made it possible for her to study at the Orford Academy. She plays a cello (Johannes Bernardus Cuypers, 1810) loaned to her by the Musical Instrument Fund.
