This season, seven enthusiastic musicians will start at the Orchestra Academy of the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. The seven talented musicians, who come from different countries, studied at conservatories throughout the Netherlands and auditioned for this unique opportunity. During the season, they will perform in productions and become acquainted with the symphonic repertoire, opera repertoire, and chamber orchestra repertoire. Under the guidance of an orchestra mentor and through lessons with our musicians, they will continue to develop their skills, and during a trial audition, they will receive valuable feedback from orchestra members.
Meet our academists!
Gepubliceerd op 29 September 2025
Nina Broeva (violin)
Nina (2002) started playing the violin at the age of six. She began her studies with Marina Meerson and later studied with Natalija Morozova. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Codarts, Conservatory of Rotterdam, with Pavel Fischer and Letizia Sciarone. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Ilya Grubert.
She has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Young Talent Orchestra, KRPH, T.O.P. Orchestra, and Codarts String Orchestra, with works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Vivaldi, and Williams.
In addition to her solo work, she has also had the opportunity to collaborate with musicians such as Candida Thompson, Gavriel Lipkind, Frank van de Laar, Gareth Lubbe, Tosca Opdam, Donald Grant, Frederik Boits, and Mikhail Zemtsov. As a chamber music duo with pianist Damiën Heemskerk, they have won prizes at several chamber music competitions, including first prize at the Prinses Marianne Concours, second prize at the Kamermuziek Concours Gelre, and they were finalists at the Storioni Concours.
Nina has performed at events such as Podium Witteman, Klassiek op het Amstelveld, Delft Chamber Music Festival, and Delden Klassiek. She has also collaborated with BNNVARA for the new podcast Keihard Klassiek.
Nina is a member of the organization Club Talent Empowerment, which provides financial support to top athletes and musicians. She has taken masterclasses with Liza Ferschtman, Gordan Nikolic, Wouter Vossen, Ayke Agus, Daniel Rowland, and Roman Spitzer.
Nina plays on a French violin made by Maurice Mermillot, dating from the late 19th century.
Vera Werkman (violin)
The Dutch violinist Vera (1999) started to play the violin when she was 4 years old at the school for Music and Dance in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, with Wiesje Miedema. Age 9 she started her study with professor Julia Dinerstein (Teacher at ArtEZ Conservatoire Zwolle/Arnhem, Conservatoire Maastricht and Codarts Rotterdam). From 2018 untill 2020 she studied with prof. Tatiana Samouil at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, and after that she finished her studies with prof. Evgenia Epshtein at the Academy of Arts in Split, Croatia in july 2024. Vera is currently studying with Pavel Berman at the Fondazione Accademia Perosi in Biella, Italy.
Vera was a member of the NJSO (Dutch National Youth String Orchestra) from 2013-2015 and was principal of the 2nd violin group. She recorded a CD with this orchestra. Vera won several prizes in national competitions such as the Iordens Viooldagen, Prinses Christina Concours and the Britten Concours. In 2016 she was a finalist during the National Dutch Violin Competition, category Davina van Wely. In april/may 2018 she participated, together with two other prize winners, in a concert tour through Canada and the USA at invitation of the Prinses Christina Concours and the Netherlands America Foundation. In the season 2017-2018 she was a member of the NJO (National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands), and played a concert tour with concerts in a.o. the Berlin Konzerthaus. In the spring of 2022 Vera got the chance to play as a soloist with the HNK Orchestra of Split in the Violin Concerto of Mendelssohn.
Vera has given recitals in the Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, and during festivals such as the “Grachtenfestival” Amsterdam and the “Nacht van de Viool”. She is currently part of the Academy of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra & Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and frequently plays as a freelancer in other Dutch orchestras such as the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Phion.
Vera is also part of a new, young string quartet: the Pontis Quartet with which she currently studies at the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie NSKA under the guidance of a.o. Marc Danel. Vera had masterclasses with a.o. Ivry Gitlis, Boris Garlitsky, Lorenzo Gatto, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Kees Hülsmann and Daniel Rowland.
She plays a violin from 1830 made by an unknown builder from France.
Iker Isasi Saez (viola)
Iker (2001) is a violist born in Bilbao Spain who began his musical journey at the age of seven. From an early age, he has been actively involved in numerous orchestral projects, performing as tutti and principal viola with ensembles such as the EIO, EGO, Basque Country youth orchestras. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at Musikene, the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country in San Sebastián, studying with renowned violist Natasha Tchitch. During this time, he also gained extensive chamber music experience, performing in a variety of ensembles, including string quartets, string quintets, and piano quintets. Currently he is also a member of the Spanish national youth orchestra (JONDE).
Iker’s career has also developed internationally, with participation in orchestras such as the Neue Philharmonie München (Germany), the Nationale Jeugd Orkest (Netherlands), and, for the past three years, as a regular member of the prestigious Verbier Festival Orchestra (VFO). In Verbier, he has performed under the baton of celebrated conductors and alongside world-class musicians, including Klaus Mäkelä, Sir Simon Rattle, Yuja Wang, and Alexandre Kantorow. He recently completed his Master’s degree in Viola Performance at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Francien Schatborn and Frederik Boits, and is now continuing to develop his orchestral career in the Netherlands.
Ori Ron (cello)
Ori (1998) was born in Israel and started studying the cello with Hilla Epstein at the age of 7. Ori completed his Bachelor degree in the Buchmann Mehta School of Music, in the class of Hillel Zori. During 2021-2023 he played with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the Colton program. In September 2023 Ori started his Master’s degree in Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Pieter Wispelwey. In November 2024 Ori won the 3rd prize in the Cello Biennale Competition in Amsterdam. In addition to being a cellist, Ori is a composer and arranger, performing his pieces on different stages around the world. He is part of the Martin String Quartet which won 1st prize in Gelre Kamermuziek Concours in 2024, and performs regularly in The Netherlands and abroad.
Mario Asensio Hernández (double bass)
Mario (2000) is een Spaanse contrabassist, geboren in Salamanca, waar hij op jonge leeftijd kennismaakte met muziek via de Sirinx Muziekschool en al snel begon met contrabasstudies aan het lokale conservatorium. Op negentienjarige leeftijd verhuisde hij naar San Sebastián om zijn opleiding voort te zetten bij Pierre Emmanuel de Maistre en Julio Pastor Sanchís aan Musikene (Hogeschool voor Muziek van het Baskenland), waar hij in 2023 zijn bachelor behaalde.
Later kwam hij naar Nederland om een master te volgen aan het Conservatorium van Amsterdam, waar hij studeerde bij Olivier Thiery, Naomi Shaham en Ying Lai Green, en de master in 2025 afrondde. Tijdens het seizoen 2024–2025 was Mario tevens lid van de Academie van het Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest.
Joost Hettinga (trumpet)
Joost (1999) is a freelance trumpeter who has collaborated with various esteemed ensembles, including the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Het Balletorkest, the Koninklijke Militaire Kapel 'Johan Willem Friso: the Orkest van de Koninklijke Marechaussee, the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, and the Residentie Orkest. He previously held the position of Principal Trumpet in the National Youth Orchestra, with which he pert armed at prestigious venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Recently, Joost showcased his talent at the Schiermonnikoog Festival, where he performed Camille Saint-Saens's Septet and two solo works.
Originally hailing from a small village in the Netherlands near the German border, Joost began his trumpet studies at the age of eight. He received lessons from Geert Sprick at the local music school, which ignited his passion for music and trumpet playing. This enthusiasm naturally led him to pursue a formal education in classical trumpet following his high school graduation.
Joost commenced his studies at the Prince Claus Conservatory in Groningen, where he was mentored by Bob Koertshuis. After successfully completing his bachelor's degree in Groningen, he continued his studies in The Hague with Erwin ter Bogt and Gertjan Loot. As from september 2025, Joost is a student at the Conservatory of Lucerne. His teachers are professor Immanuel Richter and professor Huw Morgan.
Gema Vega Diaz (percussion)
Gema (1999) is a percussionist and timpanist from Gran Canaria, specialized in orchestral performance, with additional experience in solo and chamber repertoire.
She has collaborated with Nederlands Philarmonisch, Rotterdam Philarmonic, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest ,Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, PhilZuid, and Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears.
Her experience also includes performances with the Nationaal JeugdOrkest and the Joven Orquesta de Canarias. With these ensembles she toured across Spain, the Canary Islands, and Europe, appearing at Young Euro Classic, Muziekzomer, the Festival de Música de Canarias and Quincena Musical, in venues such as the Musikverein, Concertgebouw, and Konzerthaus Berlin.
With nearly a decade of experience as an orchestral percussionist she has had the chance to work with renowned conductors and internationally acclaimed soloists, like Leonard Slatkin, Krzysztof Urbański, Joshua Weilerstein, Nikolái Luganski, Rafal Blechacz.