Classical Music

• String instruments: violin, viola, cello, contrabass
• Wind/brass instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet
• Other instruments: piano, carillon
• Vocals
• Choral conducting
• Composition
• Church Music

• Applied analysis
• Music and meaning
• Counterpoint
• Basso continuo
• Stage skills
• Creative music making
• Project realisation

Church Music study programme
Would you like to study church music while studying organ or choir conducting at another conservatoire? That is possible! You can join the church music courses given at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium free of charge. Here you will be prepared for the church music exams in Hymnology, Liturgy, Cantorate and Church Organ. The lessons take place during the regular class weeks on every Wednesday. The lessons are open to students with a propaedeutic degree in organ or choral conducting. Please enquire about the possibilities via cecile.rongen@hku.nl.

Course leader
Cécile Rongen

Arranging
Willem van Merwijk

Cello
Victor García García
Jeroen den Herder
Timora Rosler

Chamber music
Annemarie Konijnenburg (coordinator)
Ernest Rombout
Timora Rosler

Choir direction and choir practicum
Rob Vermeulen

Church music
Mark Lippe (core teacher)

Clarinet
Céleste Zewald

Composition
Caroline Ansink
Anne-Maartje Lemereis

Correpetition
Leon Bak
Felix Justin
Carl van Reenen
Peter Sluijs
Mariken Zandvliet

Declamation
Luca Avanzi (Italian)
Anna Kramer (German)
José Lieshout - van de Sande (French)

Double bass
James Oesi

Drama
Gusta Gerritsen Teengs

Educational subjects
Heleen Gerretsen (core teacher)

Flute
Aldo Baerten

Historical documentation
Antoinette Lohmann

Hobo
Ernest Rombout

Music theory
Duco Burgers
Arnoud Heerings
Daan van den Hurk (core teacher)
Anne-Maartje Lemereis
Mark Lippe
Rens Tienstra

Musical history
Arnoud Heerings

Musician's Health
Criss Taylor

Piano
Vivianne Cheng
Henry Kelder (core teacher)
Matthijs Solinger
Evelina Vorontsova
Klara Wurtz

Production subjects
Aart de Jong
Eelco Topper

Saxophone
Andreas Mader

Stage training
Wilfred van de Peppel

Viola
Annemarie Konijnenburg (core teacher)
Mikhail Zamtsov

Violin
Chris Duindam (core teacher)
Carla Leurs
Hebe Mensinga

Vocals
Selma Harkink
Karin van der Poel (core teacher)
Erik Slik

Discover all lecturers of HKU Utrechts Conservatorium

Caroline Ansink studied flute with Abbie de Quant (DM and UM) and composition with Joep Straesser (Prize for Composition) at the Utrechts Conservatorium, and then studied with Isang Yun.
Performances of her compositions by Emmy Verhey, Jard van Nes, Abbie de Quant, Gonny van der Maten, Marion van den Akker, Osiris Trio, Brisk and Syrinx Saxophone Quartet, among others, have since taken place in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, the IJsbreker and the Concertgebouw, as well as in halls, churches and small churches in cities and rural areas all over Europe. Besides operas, she wrote a lot of chamber music and symphonic work, expressive and complex, as well as bright atmospheric pieces for (advanced) amateurs and youth orchestra.
She won prizes for her string quartets Shades of Silence and Brezze, her organ work Pyrrhus, her piano trio Skopós, orchestral work Night and Day and choral piece Zeitenschrunde. The emphasis in her compositions has increasingly been on vocal music, with the titles, subjects and choice of lyrics often reflecting her views on society, history and music through the ages.
From the very beginning, she encourages composition students to find their own compositional language.
From years of experience with students of all ages and levels, she helps flute students develop their own teaching style in the methodology lessons.

Aldo Baerten plays as flute soloist with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the conservatories of Antwerp, Utrecht and Cologne/Aachen. He has a great passion for chamber music and enjoys passing on his passion and knowledge to a younger generation. Aldo has his own summer course International Flute Seminar Bruges. Most former students of Aldo Baerten play in orchestras, modern music or teach, and this on 4 continents. Aldo himself studied with Peter-Lukas Graf, Gaby Pas van Riet and Philippe Boucly.

Vivianne Cheng is a Steinway Artist who has performed in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Het Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Salle Cortot, Lincoln Center, and Verbier Festival. Recent highlights included a solo recital tour through Europe and USA, a radio broadcast on NPO Klassiek, and a television performance of Beethoven Piano Concerto Nr. 4 with members of Concertgebouworkest on Podium Klassiek. In addition to her concerts, Vivianne teaches at the Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria and Utrechts Conservatorium in The Netherlands. Vivianne is a prizewinner of international piano competitions such as the Tureck International Bach Competition, New York International Piano Competition, Concurso Internacional de Piano CLaMo, Bartók-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. In 2020, she was awarded a 'Heldenspeld' from the Gemeente Amsterdam for creating live piano concerts on a boat sailing through Amsterdam's canals during the pandemic. Her studies were completed at Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Naum Grubert), Mozarteum Salzburg (Andreas Groethuysen; Pavel Gililov), Curtis Institute of Music (Gary Graffman; Leon Fleisher), and The Juilliard School where she was accepted at the age of ten.

For more information: www.vivi-anne.com.

Dutch soprano Selma Harkink is a versatile singer. After studying in Utrecht and Amsterdam, she soon made her debut in Germany at the Theater Dortmund. After that she had the opportunity to sing in many opera houses including Theater Bonn, Theater Gelsenkirchen, De Nationale Opera and De Nederlandse Reisopera. She has worked with conductors such as Ed Spanjaard, Jan Stulen, Mark Shanahan, Dirk Kaftan, Arthur Fagan and many others.

Together with pianists Jan-Paul Grijpink and David Bollen, Selma forms a song duo with whom she performs regularly. Oratorio is also an important part of her professional practice. Early in her career, she discovered a love for teaching. Since 2016 she has been a principal study teacher in voice at the Conservatory of Utrecht, and since 2022 she has been a principal study teacher at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.

Jeroen den Herder (b. 1971) is a cellist and teacher. Looking back on a career that began during his 15th year at the Utrecht Conservatory, the breadth of the musical spectrum is particularly striking. His repertoire includes works from all style periods, from Gabrielli on gut strings, through Schubert on five-string cello and the experimental compositions of the 1960s to the newest music of today, including music from the Middle East and Asia. For long periods he played as a cellist in the cello octet Conjunto Ibérico (now Cello8tet Amsterdam), the Nieuw Ensemble, Rembrandt Trio and Ruysdael Quartet. He has worked with major composers such as Gubaidulina, Kagel, Pärt and Glass. Jeroen is associated as solo cellist with the chamber orchestra Sinfonia Rotterdam.

As a teacher, Jeroen shows a deep interest in learning processes stemming from a holistic worldview. Besides his long-term teaching positions at the conservatories of Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Minsk, he is the initiator of the Cello Festival Zutphen and the Cello Academy Zutphen, now merged into CelloWercken Zutphen. The aim of his teaching lies in making music sing by setting people free.

Doretthe Janssens studied modern flute and traverso at the Utrecht Conservatory, where she is currently principal study teacher in historical flutes. She also has a thriving teaching practice at home, with amateur flutists of all ages and from all over the country. Doretthe has written a method for the traverso, which has been published in Dutch, English and German. Doretthe plays regularly in various European orchestras and ensembles, and she is a regular member of the baroque orchestra of the Netherlands Bach Society. She has also recently started working part-time as a coordinator in a hospice.

Anne-Maartje Lemereis studied composition at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium and never left; since graduating in 2016 she has been working as a teacher and mentor. Besides teaching, she is active as a composer and writes commissioned works for various ensembles, festivals and concert halls such as the Ragazze Quartet, November Music, Holland Opera and Podium Witteman. Anne-Maartje has a great love for newly-written music and dedicates herself in every possible way to putting this music in the spotlight.

Austrian saxophonist Andreas Mader, known for his "brilliant technique and great versatility" (Rhein Zeitung), will debut at the Konzerthaus Berlin in the 2024/25 season and be Artist in Residence at the Listening Closely Festival 2025 in Austria. Highlights include his Carnegie Hall debut and the release of Walking The Dog with pianist Joseph Moog in 2024. Winner of the 2022 Naumburg and Werner Pirchner Prizes, Andreas has toured with Christos Papandreopoulos in the Netherlands and released his acclaimed debut CD Lilith & Lulu. He has performed with major orchestras and holds multiple degrees from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, with additional studies (Erasmus) at the CNSM de Paris.

As an organist and pianist, Laurens de Man feels at home in a broad repertoire. He studied organ, piano and minor harpsichord at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with David Kuyken, Jacques van Oortmerssen and Johan Hofmann; at the Berlin University of the Arts he obtained his Konzertexamen with Leo van Doeselaar. During concerts on the most diverse organs, as church musician in the Utrecht Janskerk, as player of chamber music or pianist of the Chimaera Trio: he is always on the hunt for the beauty of music. At the HKU he teaches organ; at the jazz department of the Conservatory of Amsterdam he teaches the minor classical piano for jazz pianists.

For more information: www.laurensdeman.com.

Double bassist James Oesi (London, 1988) has made a name for himself in the classical and modern music world since his arrival in the Netherlands in 2009. He is one of the few to focus on the double bass as a solo instrument and plays works by Bach, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven, among others, on renowned stages at home and abroad. He has been featured on programs such as Podium Klassiek and Vrije Geluiden. International magazine The Strad called him one of the “up and coming bass players.”

James is founder and artistic director of BassFest (formerly Dutch Double Bass Festival) and since 2024 also of the Bach Festival Dordrecht. He is also principal study teacher at the Utrecht Conservatory of Music. He has collaborated with Kamerata Zuid and Abdullah Ibrahim, among others. In 2024 he released his debut album 'Adoration' together with pianist Djuwa Mroivili.

Israeli/Dutch cellist Timora Rosler won the first prize at the Stuttgart International Cello Competition in 1996. In 1997 she was awarded the Vriendenkrans of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She was praised by the jury as follows: "Timora Rosler possesses an engaging talent, intimate expression, virtuosity and a natural feel for the composition. Her interpretation is exceptionally fascinating." A year later, she won a special prize for her interpretation at the XI. International Bach Competition in Leipzig.

She has performed at numerous music festivals, including Ravinia, Aspen, Banff Centre for the Arts, Cello Biënnale Amsterdam, Manchester Cello Festival, International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, Francigena International Arts Festival, Holland Music Sessions, Pro Festival in Rolandseck, Cello Festival Zutphen and Gaia Chamber Music Festival in Thun. Rosler has been heard in concerts in Europe, the United States, Canada, Argentina and Israel.

As a soloist, she has performed with several orchestras, including Flemish Radio Orchestra (led by Martyn Brabbins), Philharmonia of the Nations (led by Justus Frants), Janácek Philharmonic, Grazioso Chamber Orchestra of the Hungarian National Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta, Donetsk Philharmonic, National Symphony of Ukraine, Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Antonio Lucio and Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. With the Orquesta de Cámara Mayo from Buenos Aires she made an extensive tour in the Netherlands (including the Grote Zaal of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw) and Argentina, with works by Piazzolla. A TV and CD recording was also made of this tour.

Rosler has several CD recordings to her credit, most recent: Beethoven- all works for cello & piano together with pianist Klara Würtz, released by Brilliant Classics. She is also active as a chamber musician, being part of the Serafino String Trio. Rosler is core tracher at the Conservatory of Utrecht and plays a Thomas Dodd cello from 1800.

Dutch tenor Erik Slik studied at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium. Already during his studies, he got the opportunity to work as a soloist at home and abroad. He performed at opera houses such as the Nationale Opera Amsterdam, the Vlaamse Opera, the Nederlandse Reisopera, Theater Thüringen (DE) Essen (DE) and Brooklyn Theatre Pretoria (SA). He has worked with conductors such as Richard Egarr, Otto Tausk, Bruno Weil, Antony Hermus, Charles Dutoit, Joanna Malwitz, Lorenzo Viotti and Carlo Rizzi. His repertoire includes opera, operetta, oratorio, song and musical; from Baroque and Britten to new music and close harmony. Besides his performances, Erik is also very committed to music education and has focused on teaching singing since his graduation. He is also part of the close harmony group Frommermann.

Matthijs Solinger studied piano at the Utrechts Conservatorium with Alexander Warenberg, Paolo Giacometti and Alan Weiss. Previously, he made a series of interviews with piano principal study teachers from various conservatoires for Pianowereld magazine. He is very interested in the mental aspects of making music. He is currently completing his studies in psychology. Besides his work at the conservatoire, he is initiator and project leader of the Music For Every Child Foundation. This organisation aims to offer music lessons in the city of Utrecht to children for whom it is not self-evident.

Saxophonist / composer / arranger Willem van Merwijk (Bemmel, The Netherlands, 1960) is a musical jack-of-all-trades. He is co-founder of the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet and played the baritone saxophone in this group from 1982 till 2014. He is also a member of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble since 1990 and regularly performing, composing and arranging for this group. Guillermo Lago (1960) is van Merwijk's composing alter ego. His work is being performed and recorded world-wide. ‘Ciudades’ by his hand for saxophone quartet has become a repertoire piece for the ensemble. He is teaching at both the 'Conservatorium van Utrecht' and the 'Conservatorium van Amsterdam’.

Crissman Taylor has been teaching at the Utrecht Conservatory since 1996 where she runs the Music Mind and Body Program. Previous to her studies at the HKU in voice (bachelors/masters) she studied violin in New York. In between conservatory studies, she gained a bachelor’s in sociology from Harvard University and qualified to teach the Alexander Technique in 1989. She has had a long performance career as classical mezzo-soprano and violinist.

Her educational development and research focuses interdisciplinary collaborations to enhance the curriculum. This includes work with medical and psychology professionals, the narrative medicine department of Utrecht Medical Center (UMC), and dance and movement research with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She conducted extensive research into the challenges of violin and viola playing, developing the Violinist in Balance method, which combines Alexander re-education with custom made chin rest and shoulder rests, using 3-D printing technology. She is a founding member of Artist in Balance, an interdisciplinary performance educational institute.

Evelina Vorontsova is a highly versatile pianist and teacher with a large repertoire and an enormous knowledge of musical development. Trained at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, she builds on the rich traditions of this piano school in her lessons and enriches it with her own experiences as a concert pianist and chamber musician.

Evelina graduated cum laude from the Moscow Central Music School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (gold medal), and also graduated from the Sweelinck Conservatory. Her teachers were Rudolf Kehrer, Mikhail Voskresensky and Jan Wijn. Evelina is prize winner of several competitions including the Liszt Competition Utrecht (2nd), the Rachmaninov Competition Moscow (4th and special prize best performance), the Concorso Internazionale per Pianoforte e Orchestra Cantù (2nd), and the International Piano Competition of Padova (Premio Virtuosité and 2e). As a soloist, Evelina has performed with various conductors including Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Lev Markiz, Jan Stulen, Stewart Robertson and Alexander Wakulsky.

In addition to her activities as a pianist and as a teacher at the Utrecht Conservatory, Evelina teaches students worldwide through her online piano school.

Mikhail Zemtsov is an internationally acclaimed and versatile musician, being a prominent soloist, teacher, educator, chamber musician and conductor. Mikhail has performed as a soloist with the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Wiener Volksoper, Hamburger Symphoniker, The Hague Philharmonic with Neeme Jarvi, Jaap van Zweden. Mikhail is member of the Utrecht String Quartet, Duo Macondo and Zemtsov Viola Quartet. He is appointed viola teacher at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and Utrecht Conservatory. Many of his students became prize winners at International Competitions and orchestra auditions. Mikhail has studied viola, composition and orchestral conducting at the conservatories of Moscow, London, Hamburg. Vilnius and Maastricht with amongst others M. Kugel. Mikhail is a prize winner of the First International Viola Competion (Vienna, 1998).

After you apply via Studielink, you will receive the questionnaire within a few working days.

If you live in the Netherlands, the theoretical exam will take place at the location of the Utrecht Conservatory. If you live outside the Netherlands, your theoretical exam will take place online. The exam will take approximately 30 minutes. It consists of a general music theory test and a listening comprehension test.

Entrance Requirements (pdf)

Below you will find examples of the theory exam:
Example theory test (pdf)
Answers theory test (pdf)
Example listening test (pdf)
Solfège (pdf)

The practice admissions will take place between 31 March and 11 April 2025 and will take place live at the conservatory.

Exception Carillon
The practical entrance exam for the Carillon will take place in June 2025. The candidates who have apply for this instrument will receive a separate invitation for the practical entrance exam.

Admission assignment practical entrance examination
For the practical entrance exam, you need to prepare an assignment in advance.

Below the different assignments per instrument.

Carillon
Cello
Choral Conducting
Clarinet
Compositon
Double Bass
Flute
Oboe
Piano
Saxophone
Trumpet
Viola
Violin
Voice

The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science anually sets the statutory tuition fees. The statutory rate applies only to students from the Netherlands, another country in the European Economic Area (EEA*), Switzerland or Suriname, and students who meet the nationality criteria of the Dutch Student Finance Act (WSF 2000).

(* EEA countries comprise the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein).

HKU sets the institutional tuition fees on the basis of the statutory rate. Students who have already completed a course in higher education and students from outside the EEA usually pay a higher rate.

Partly as a result of legal changes, the rate for institutional tuition fees for non-EEA students may rise considerably in the coming years.

Read the information on the study costs page.