Davidsbündler Feest

This year, I was fortunate enough to participate in several events and masterclasses at the Davidsbündler Music Academy in The Hague. One of my most recent and cherished experiences with this academy was the Davidsbündler Feest in June, a celebration marking the end of the musical season before summer, inviting the academists and some visiting students to perform in several concerts over three days.

I was delighted to be invited to perform the exhilarating Mendelssohn Octet with some of The Netherlands' most renowned musicians, including Rosanne Philippens, Georgy Kovalev, Quirine Viersen, David Cohen, and Nicholas Schwartz. This festival involved rehearsing with these distinguished professionals, a masterclass with Rosanne Philippens, performing in a student concert, and performing the Mendelssohn Octet in three different venues: Amerongen Castle, Vondelpark Openlucht Theatre and the Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal.

Working and performing alongside these exceptional artists over a few days was a tremendous joy, offering me a glimpse into refined and sophisticated artistry and musicianship, from which I absorbed as much as possible. I was also very happy to watch all the other students perform, as well as several other musicians performing during the festival, including Anna Fedorova and the Arethusa Quartet.