25 years of young talent: Queen Máxima at an anniversary concert

Queen Máxima attended an anniversary concert at Het Koninklijk Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on Thursday evening. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of the Academy, the training programme of the renowned Concertgebouw Orchestra. The Queen has been patron of the orchestra since 2005.

On arrival she was welcomed by, among others, Robbert Dijkgraaf, chair of the foundation behind the orchestra, and managing director Dominik Winterling.

An orchestra of former students

The orchestra on stage was made up of around a hundred current and former students from the orchestra's talent programmes. Several of them travelled from across Europe to take part. The concert was conducted by Finland's Klaus Mäkelä, who becomes the Concertgebouw Orchestra's chief conductor in September 2027.

The programme included Edvard Grieg's first "Peer Gynt" suite and Camille Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony, both with Aurel Dawidiuk as conductor and soloist. Clarinettist Carlos Ferreira and violist Santa Vižine were the soloists in Max Bruch's Double Concerto.

A year in one of the world's finest orchestras

The Academy gives young musicians the chance to rehearse and perform with the Concertgebouw Orchestra for a full season. This year 14 young musicians have been accepted. Many former students have gone on to permanent positions in professional orchestras, including the Concertgebouw Orchestra itself.

Cellist Tom van Lent was one of the very first two students and has played in the Residentie Orkest in The Hague since 2004. He told the local broadcaster AT5 that the Academy has grown into a large institution, and that it felt good to be back.

"You learn to play with a professional orchestra at the very highest level," he says.