In 2015, a long-held wish of the Netherlands Philharmonic & Netherlands Chamber Orchestra came true when the position of assistant conductor was created. The position will be filled jointly with De Nationale Opera for the first time beginning in the 2020-2021 season. The (junior) assistant conductor is present at all rehearsals and concerts conducted by the principal conductor. The (junior) assistant conductor is also assigned one or more smaller projects. The position is for one year with the possibility of renewal for another year. Nil Venditti assisted Marc Albrecht in his last year as principal conductor with the Netherlands Philharmonic. Giuseppe Mengoli assisted Lorenzo Viotti during his first two seasons as chief conductor. As of season 2023-2024, Spain's Alejandro Cantalapiedra will be assistant conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and De Nationale Opera.
Assistant conductor
Alejandro Cantalapiedra
Alejandro began his conducting studies with Juan María Esteban del Pozo and Miguel Romea before moving to the Netherlands where he continued his studies at Codarts Rotterdam with Hans Leenders, Sander Teepen and Wiecher Mandemaker. He took master classes with Antony Hermus and Karel Deseure, among others.
In the summer of 2022, Alejandro Cantalapiedra made his debut at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, where he is permanent choral conductor. Since 2019 he has been chief conductor of the Utrecht Young Orchestra and from 2016-2023 he was chief conductor and founder of the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. With these youth orchestras he conducted in such important concert halls as the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, TivoliVredenburg and De Doelen Rotterdam.
The position as assistant conductor is made possible in part by:
