This season, eight enthusiastic musicians will join the Orchestra Academy of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. The eight young talents, coming from different countries, studied at conservatories across the Netherlands and auditioned for this unique opportunity. Throughout the season, they will perform in various productions and gain experience with symphonic, opera and chamber orchestra repertoire. Guided by an orchestra mentor and through lessons with our musicians, they will further develop their skills. During a trial audition, they will also receive valuable feedback from members of the orchestra.
Meet our academists!
Gepubliceerd op 01 October 2026
Ioana (2002) is a Romanian violinist who recently completed her Master’s degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the guidance of Mathieu van Bellen, having previously studied with Liviu Prunaru. She has performed as a soloist and orchestral musician across Europe and has received prizes at numerous national and international competitions. She is a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and previously a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands, and has participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned violinists, including Mihaela Martin, Mi-Kyung Lee and Erzhan Kulibaev.
Ioana is passionate about chamber music and regularly performs with her violin–piano duo. She is particularly interested in exploring a wide range of repertoire and in developing collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to performance.
Tiago (2000) is a Portuguese violinist based in Amsterdam. He recently completed his Master’s degree at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, where he studied with Ilona Sie Dhian Ho. Previously, he completed his Bachelor’s degree at the HKU Utrechts Conservatorium, studying with Elisabeth Perry.
During his studies, Tiago gained orchestral experience with the Residentie Orkest, where he completed an academy year as part of the Orchestra Master programme, and with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands (NJO), where he played as principal second violin. He also took on concertmaster roles in several other youth and conservatory orchestras. He founded the Utrecht Piano Trio, with whom he performed in venues including Het Concertgebouw and TivoliVredenburg and won third prizes at the Kamermuziek Concours Gelre and the International Music Competition Triomphe de l’Art in Belgium. Alongside his orchestral work, Tiago remains active as a chamber musician, performing regularly with different string quartets based in Den Haag. In 2022, Tiago won first prize at the Steyerberg Muziekprijs solo competition at TivoliVredenburg and was invited to perform there as a soloist the following year. He is currently part of the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest and Nederlands Kamerorkest Academy, with which he will perform regularly throughout this year, as well as with the Residentie Orkest.
Celia (2001) is a Spanish violist from a family of musicians, currently studying a Master of Classical Music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Marjolein Dispa and Frederik Boits. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Granada with Almudena García and has performed with several European youth orchestras, including the Nationaal Jeugdorkest and Wiener Jeunesse Orchester. She was also selected for the reserve list of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE), and during the 2025–2026 season she was an academy member of Phion Orkest.
Her main professional goal is to build a career as an orchestral musician. Alongside her orchestral work, Celia is also active as a chamber musician and has participated in masterclasses with renowned violists including Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit and Timothy Ridout.
Thomas (2001) is a German-Canadian cellist from Montréal. In 2021, he moved to the Netherlands to pursue his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in classical cello with Michael Stirling. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Baroque Cello with Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde in the same institution.
In addition to his modern cello playing, Thomas has a particular interest in historically informed performance practice. He received coachings from numerous cellists such as Viola de Hoog, Albert Brüggen, Bruno Cocset, Torleif Thédeen, Tanja Tetzlaff, Xenia Jankovic and Lynn Harrell.
Thomas played with various ensembles in the Netherlands such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. He also loves teaching and taking part in educational projects. Amongst others, he took parts in projects in Haiti (2018) and Nunavik, Canada (2023).
In his daily life, Thomas loves to run, cook and geek about cameras. He also finds great joy in leatherworking and coffee drinking!
Lucia (2000) is an Italian double bass player. She started playing the double bass at the age of 8 in her hometown, Reggio Emilia, where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree studying with Amerigo Bernardi and was awarded a scholarship as one of the top graduates of the year. She then moved to Turin, Italy, where she completed her Master’s Degree with full marks and honours under the guidance of Davide Botto at the Conservatory “G. Verdi”. Lucia is currently pursuing a Master’s program at Codarts University in Rotterdam, in the class of Luis Cabrera.
Fascinated by orchestral experience, at 19 Lucia won the audition for Principal Double Bass of the Italian Youth Orchestra (OGI). Thanks to this experience, Lucia worked with musicians such as Kolja Blacher, Simone Bernardini, Alexander Lonquich and especially Lorenza Borrani, who invited her to play with the Spira Mirabilis project.
In 2023 Lucia won a place in Riccardo Muti’s Cherubini Youth Orchestra, for the 2023-26 period, performing as both Principal or Co-Principal double bass. She was also invited to join the Spanish National Youth Orchestra (JONDE) on its 2023 summer tour as part of the European MusXchange project.
Professionally, Lucia has won auditions for substitute positions with the Orchestra Haydn in Bolzano and the Orchestra Fondazione Arena di Verona. She has also performed with prestigious orchestras including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, and Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) in Florence.
Passionate about chamber music, she has played with ensembles such as Quartetto Klimt, I Solisti di Pavia, L’Appassionata, Camerata Ducale, and Colibrì Ensemble. In 2024, she recorded an album featuring Chopin’s Piano Concertos Op. 11 and Op. 21 arranged for string quintet, with pianist Luigi Carroccia, released in February 2025 with Amadeus magazine.
Vicente (2002) is a Spanish flutist based in Amsterdam. He graduated from Conservatorium van Amsterdam with a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Flute, studying with Kersten McCall, Vincent Cortvrint, and Mariya Semotyuk. He is currently pursuing further studies in historical flutes at the same institution with Marten Root and Anna Besson.
Vicente has collaborated with leading Dutch ensembles, including the Netherlands Bach Society, the Orchestra of the 18th Century, and the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht. He has also participated in the academy programmes of Insula Orchestra and the Balthasar Neumann Choir and Orchestra, as well as productions with ensembles such as La Grande Chapelle, Ensemble Masques, and Anima Sonora. His orchestral experience also includes projects with the NJO Nationale Jeugdorkesten Nederland and the Orchestre des Jeunes de l’Abbaye.
As a chamber musician, Vicente is a founding member of several ensembles, including the Invent Quintet, prizewinner at the Van Wassenaer Competition in Utrecht, and Trio Intermezzo. The trio performs in social and community venues throughout the Netherlands in collaboration with Music Live Now and Muziek in Huis.
Carlos (2002) is a Spanish clarinetist currently pursuing Advanced Studies / Soloist Diploma at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH) with Andreas Sundén. He completed his Master’s Degree in Music, Orchestra at KMH in June 2026, also studying with Andreas Sundén, and previously completed his Bachelor’s Degree at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid with Cum Laude and twelve Honourable Mentions, studying with Justo Sanz and Jorge Gil. Previously he completed the Elemental and Professional Degrees in Cuenca, with Christian Álvarez, finishing his studies also with honourable mention.
His artistic development has been strongly focused on orchestral playing, and he has gained experience with a wide range of professional and youth orchestras across Europe. His recent engagements include the Orquesta Nacional de España, Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Royal Swedish Opera, Philharmonie Salzburg and Västerås Sinfonietta. He has also been a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra for two years, where he has performed as Principal Clarinet and Eflat clarinet, among other duties.
Alongside his orchestral work, Carlos is active as a soloist and chamber musician, having performed in concerts and festivals in Spain and across Europe, including the Festival de Santander – Escuela Reina Sofía. He has participated in numerous international academies and masterclasses, working with internationally recognised clarinettists including Ángel Belda, Alessandro Carbonare, Wenzel Fuchs, Björn Nyman, Arno Piters, Kilian Herold. These experiences have contributed to his development as a versatile musician and to his growing experience within the international orchestral and chamber music scene.
Carlos has received several awards and distinctions in international competitions and auditions. His recent achievements include Second Prize at the Lisbon International Clarinet Competition, Finalist at the S. Mercadante International Clarinet Competition, the KMH and the RCSMM soloist award or the KMA National Scholarship. He received the Fundación La Mutua Excellence Scholarship in 2024 and 2025. Nowadays he continues to combine his advanced studies with professional orchestral engagements and artistic projects across Europe.
Iván (2003) is a Spanish percussionist from Benidorm (Alicante). He started his percussion studies at the age of 8 with Dorín Carbonell at the Escuela Unión Musical de Benidorm and continued his education at the Conservatorio José Pérez Barceló, where he graduated with honours. In 2021 he continued his studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel Massotti Littel in Murcia, studying with Rafael Mayans and Ignasi Dòmenech. He later completed his studies at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), where he studied with Marc Aixa, Lorenzo Ferrándiz and Miquel Bernat.
Iván has performed with orchestras including the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) and the Gran Teatre del Liceu. He has been a member of the Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya (JONC) and the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE), where he was selected in 2023 and has continued to develop his orchestral experience. He has also been awarded the Ferrer-Salat Scholarship from JONDE. Alongside his orchestral work, Iván is a member of Yalodde Duo, a professional percussion duo focused on chamber music and the exploration of the diverse colours and expressive possibilities of percussion.