Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam

You encounter them everywhere: in the theater, the café, at home on TV, or just out in the wild in a meadow. A Club Classique performance is full of exciting combinations, unexpected twists, and moving stories.

Dream away with Ravel, swing to Gershwin, and swoon with Chopin. Enjoy familiar melodies and be surprised by unknown gems. Club Classique can take any form, even symphonic music is reduced to chamber music format.

No full-length works, but bite-sized pieces from the most beautiful compositions. Personal stories, poems, other art forms, and film clips make each performance a unique experience. Classical music has never been so diverse.

Violinist Myrthe Helder and cellist Leonard Besseling are the two halves of the brain that form Club Classique. For each project, they seek out new themes and find the right artists, writers, craftsmen, and the best musicians in the Netherlands to match.

They find collaboration partners at Theaterzaken Via Rudolphi, the Grachtenfestival, the Bach Association, and the Royal Concertgebouw, among others. In addition to a number of regular series, they regularly tour the country with a wide variety of performances. They are also welcome guests on radio and TV, such as on the program Podium Klassiek.

Norwegian pianist Håkon Austbø has been active for more than 50 years. He made his debut at the age of fourteen as a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and with a recital in Oslo. With his interesting repertoire and unusual versatility, he has carved out a unique place for himself in the music world.

He is perhaps best known as an interpreter of the works of Olivier Messiaen, with whom he worked and thus became one of the few bearers of an authentic performance practice. He has also been a fervent champion of the music of Aleksandr Skrjabin. Interestingly, both composers were preoccupied with the phenomenon of color in music, a subject that Håkon Austbø has also explored extensively, first by realizing the first authentic performance of the color voice in Scriabin's Prometheus in The Netherlands in the 1990s, and later by developing new color voices in Messiaen in 2012/13. The latter project has recently been published.

Håkon Austbø spent most of his life - almost 40 years - outside Norway, including more than 30 years in The Netherlands, after studying in Paris, New York, and Munich. In 1970, he was the first non-French person to win the first prize at the Concours de la Guilde Française des Artistes Solistes in Paris, and his international breakthrough came the following year when he won the first prize at the Olivier Messiaen competition for contemporary music in Royan. He was also among the prize winners at the international competition in Munich (1974, in piano duo with Marina Horak), at the Ravel competition in Paris (1975), and at the UNESCO Tribune in Bratislava (1975, with the Trio du Nord).

His more than 40 CDs, recorded for various labels, have earned international acclaim. He has received the Norwegian Record Prize several times and won the Edison Prize in 1998 for his recording of Messiaen's Catalogue d'Oiseaux.

His pedagogical activities also reflect his versatility. He was head teacher at the conservatories in Utrecht and Amsterdam, and later professor in Stavanger and Oslo. He continues to give masterclasses and lectures alongside his concerts throughout the world.

Harmen Fraanje is a pianist, composer and educator from the Netherlands. He leads and co-leads several projects like his solo project, trio Reijseger Fraanje Sylla, a duo with Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen, a quartet with Sanem Kalfa, Clemens van der Feen and Martijn Vink, a trio with Finnish musicians Aino Peltomaa on voice and Mikko Perkola on viola da gamba and effects, and a quartet with Magic Malik, Brice Soniano and Toma Gouband. These groups mostly perform original works with a lot of space for improvisation.

Harmen is also very active as a sideman in various projects in the European jazz scene, like the Mats Eilertsen Trio, Eric Vloeimans’ Fugimundi trio with Anton Goudsmit, and Michael Moore’s Fragile Quartet. With these projects he frequently performs at festivals and concert venues throughout the world. Recordings of the projects he’s involved in have been released by renowned record labels like ECM, Winter & Winter, Outhere Music, Hubro Music and Challenge Jazz.

Harmen collaborated with the likes of Ambrose Akinmusire, Mark Turner, Kenny Wheeler, Arve Henriksen, Thomas Morgan, Tony Malaby, Han Bennink, Ernst Reijseger, Trygve Seim, Jesse van Ruller, Magic Malik, Nelson Veras, Theo Bleckmann, Ben Monder, Enrico Rava, Werner Herzog, Trio Mediaeval, Hein van de Geyn, Perico Sambeat, Igor Roma, Louis Moholo, Ferenc Kovács, Rudi Mahall and Cristina Branco.

Harmen is chairman of the Jazz Piano Faculty at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam / University of the Arts Amsterdam. He is also frequently invited to give workshops and masterclasses at other European conservatories.

According to the internationally acclaimed website AllAboutJazz “Harmen Fraanje is emerging as one of the most impressive young European pianists of the past decade.”

Huib Ramaer studied historical musicology at the University of Amsterdam. As a freelance writer, presenter, and storyteller, he shares his knowledge and enthusiasm with a wide audience. Together with experts in visual arts, theater, and dance, he has been teaching cultural history of music at the ArtEZ teacher training programs in Arnhem and Zwolle since 2007, where he is also a coach for the Master Conservatory Classical program. Since 2016, he has been associated with the Muze van Zuid festival in the Concertgebouw neighborhood, for which he is developing music walks to concerts by top musicians in beautiful houses and monuments for the seventh time this year.

Kitano Hernández Solano is a dynamic young jazz pianist from Mexico who currently resides in Amsterdam. With a versatile style that moves between jazz, Latin music, hip hop, electronic music, groove, fusion, and rap, Kitano enjoys collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds. He has performed on many international stages, including prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie in Paris, the Bimhuis, and the UNESCO International Art Forum in Mexico City. Kitano's musical journey is marked by exciting encounters, having shared the stage with greats such as Chick Corea, Rodney Barretto, Iraida Noriega, Sor, Akwasi, and others.

The Amsterdam-based piano duo Amacord consists of pianists Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst. Their playing has been praised in the press for its technical refinement, deep musical expression, and seamless fusion of timbres. Ivana and Maarten met in Vienna, where they both completed their postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts.

Piano duo Amacord performs frequently at home and abroad. They have given concerts in Europe, Asia, the US, and the Netherlands at renowned venues such as TivoliVredenburg, the Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Amacord can also be heard regularly on radio (including ‘Podium’, ‘Vrij Spel’, ‘Passaggio Late Night’, ‘De Concertzender’) and television (‘Podium Klassiek’).

Amacord has a broad repertoire that ranges from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions. The duo regularly collaborates with contemporary composers: Genevieve Murphy, Karl Fiorini, Marlijn Helder, Diego Soifer, and Dominy Clements have written new works for the duo. In 2024, the duo premiered the new work ‘Sonatine’, written for them by the Viennese composer, pianist and conductor Christopher Devine. In the second half of 2025, Amacord will premiere a new composition written for them by Thomas Beijer.

In January 2020, the duo released their debut album on the ZIP Records label, featuring works by Debussy, Bizet, and Ravel. In 2024, their second album, “Vienna, Theme & Variations,” was released by ZIP Records. This album features works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and Herzogenberg. Since 2019, Ivana and Maarten have been the artistic directors of the Nieuwe Kerk Concerts Haarlem series. The duo programs seven high-quality programs per season, providing a stage for both acclaimed professionals and young talent.

In addition to their concert careers, Ivana and Maarten are passionate teachers with more than 20 years of experience. In 2015, they founded Amacord Music Education Amsterdam (AMEA).

Beatrice and Eleonora Dallagnese are a piano duo of 25-year-old twin sisters from Treviso, Italy, currently based in Salzburg. Renowned for their deep musical sensitivity, synchronicity, and artistic refinement, they are considered among the most captivating piano duos of their generation.

Their performances have graced prestigious venues and festivals across Italy - including Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Museo Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Bologna Festival, and Accademia Filarmonica di Verona - and internationally at Carnegie Hall (New York), Musikverein (Graz), Wiener Saal (Salzburg), and the Festival de Menton (France), among others.

In 2025, they are scheduled to perform in major cities such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. They have been selected by the Mozarteum University to record classical works for the Expo 2025 in Osaka, and will also participate in the Brahms recording project by the Imola Piano Academy, having contributed to its Schumann project in 2022.

Yamaha Artists since 2022, they released their debut album 'ITER' and have performed with orchestras including the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese and Bacau Philharmonic. They’ve collaborated with esteemed musicians like pianist Gloria Campaner and the Quartetto Adorno.

Winners of over 45 top international prizes, Beatrice and Eleonora began piano at age four. They studied at the Imola Piano Academy and earned their Master’s with honors from the Conservatory of Padua. In 2023, they were named the official piano duo of Imola Academy by Maestro Franco Scala and now specialize in piano duo at the Salzburger Mozarteum with Andreas Groethuysen.

The Borsboom-Hasegawa Piano Duo, consisting of Tobias Borsboom and Yukiko Hasegawa, has been mastering the piano duo repertoire since 2010. They perform regularly both at home and abroad. They have performed at the renowned International Euregio Rhine-Waal Music Festival and the Klever Klaviersommer in Germany and The Netherlands, as well as at The International Holland Music Sessions. They also enjoy fame in Japan, giving concerts at the Hamamatsu Musical Instrument Museum and the Hamamatsu Act-City Hall. In 2018, they were elected ‘Masters of Shizuoka’ (Shizuoka no meishutachi, Japan). In addition to their four-hands and piano duo repertoire, they also perform works for larger ensembles such as two pianos and percussion, four pianos, quatre-mains with singers and choir, and in music theater productions.

Turkish pianists Cansu Perihan Önder and Samira Kayra Bozan form the piano duo Kayra & Cansu. Both pianists study at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Slava Poprugin. In addition, they are coached as a duo by the Scholtes & Janssens Piano Duo. Cansu began her studies at a young age at the Hacettepe University State Conservatory in Turkey and has performed as a soloist with various orchestras. Kayra began piano lessons at the age of twelve in Bodrum, Turkey, and continued her education at Codarts Rotterdam before beginning her bachelor's degree at the Royal Conservatoire.

The duo's repertoire encompasses a wide range of works, from classical to Turkish compositions, reflecting their shared cultural background and diverse musical interests. They perform both solo and chamber music repertoire, with a focus on technically precise, expressive, and narrative interpretations that bring the musical story to life. This year, the duo has been selected for the Jong voor Oud (Young for Old) program of the Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam; a series of four concerts in nursing homes and hospitals, among other venues, preceded by coaching and lessons from the Scholtes & Janssens Piano Duo

Lestari Scholtes and Gwylim Janssens have been a piano duo since 2003. Today they are recognized as one of the most promising piano duos of their generaKon. Their debut at Car- negie Hall in May 2009 was hailed as 'it might as well have been 25 or 30 fingers, so grand and fused was their sound. Sublime duo in top form'. The duo is known for their mesmerizing sound, very high technical dexterity and their intense and energetic performances. This has earned them concerts throughout Europe and in the United States, Dubai, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Georgia, Mongolia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Chile and Bolivia.

Their concerts have been broadcast nationally and internationally on television and radio, including Radio4, BBC3, Kol Hamusica (Israeli radio) and Klara. They have also soloed with orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Residentie Orkest, the Brabant Orchestra, Sinfonia Rotterdam and the Israel Symphony Orchestra. The duo has been featured at various festivals, including the Festival of Bath, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, TonLagen- Dresdner Festival der zeitgenössischen Musik, Braunlage Maikonzerte, Basilica Festival of Flanders, Klevische Klaviersommer, Almere Chamber Music Festival, Festival Classique and the International Piano Duo Festival Poland.

The duo was winner of more than a dozen (inter)national competitions, including the prestigious Vriendenkrans Concours of the Concertgebouw, the Concours Musical de France, the International Chamber Music Competition Almere 2009 and IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition and was named Radio 4 Talent of the Year in 2010. Lestari and Gwylim are regular judges at various (inter)national competitions. They also gave many master classes at various conservatories worldwide.

The duo initiated the annual Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam, which had its first edition in October 2013.

As a piano duo, they studied with the renowned piano duo Gil Garburg and Sivan Silver at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover. Together they attended many master classes with Nikolai Petrov, Alexander Tamir, Victor Derevianko, Alon Goldstein, Peter Takács, Paul Lewis, Jean-Bernard Pommier and Menahem Pressler, among others. Both began their training in the Young Talent Class of the Brabant Conservatory with Ton Demmers. Lestari followed her Bachelor and Master studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Jan Wijn; Gwylim completed his Bachelor phase at the Fontys Conservatory with Ton Demmers and followed his Master studies at the Codarts Conservatory with Bart van de Roer.

In November 2010, their debut CD was released with works by Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Ravel, under the label of QuattroLive. In May 2014, their second CD "Paris!" was released by Etcetera Records with works by Stravinsky, Debussy and Ravel. This CD was awarded a Luister10 and a 5-star review in the Nederlands Dagblad. Their 3rd CD of works by Mozart and Schubert was released in 2021 by Challenge Records International. BBC Music Magazine wrote about this CD: 'They breathe together, agree on relaKve dynamics and tonal color and understand the balance of the textures.' and awarded the CD no less than 4**** stars. Last year saw the release of their latest album, a live CD featuring Simeon Ten Holt's beloved Canto Ostinato.

Ralph van Raat has been fascinated by classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries since he was fourteen years old. With a repertoire ranging from Bach to Boulez, he aims to introduce his audience to the immense beauty of music from this era through solo recitals, lecture-recitals, piano concertos with orchestra, CD releases, and special projects. This has not gone unnoticed: as a multiple prize winner of domestic and international competitions and scholarships, many composers, from Louis Andriessen to Tan Dun and from Gavin Bryars to Frederic Rzewski, have written works for the pianist. He has performed more than 60 piano concertos worldwide, with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and has recorded more than 35 CDs. Van Raat is a sought-after speaker and performer for radio and television, and in his spare time he teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the Accademia di Musica di Pinerolo in Turin. Ralph has been a Steinway Artist since 2003.