The International Holland Music Sessions (TIHMS) was founded in 1988 in the Dutch village of Bergen, North Holland, by Frans Wolfkamp, at that time director of the Conservatory of Alkmaar in the Netherlands. (<info Frans Wolfkamp>). Begun as an international summer course it soon developed into one of the leading institutes offering career opportunities for young talented musicians, since almost from its inception the goal of the program was to attract musicians through the inspiring combination of master classes and concert experience. The most promising young musicians, who performed during the Summer Academy in daily concerts in Bergen’s intimate and beautiful Ruïnekerk, were invited to perform in the Recital Hall of the renowned Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, an experience that in many cases provided the first step toward an impressive career.
In 2002 Frans Wolfkamp handed the artistic directorship over to Jan Marisse Huizing, who had been artistic advisor of TIHMS since 1989. ( <info Jan Marisse Huizing> ).
Each year The International Holland Music Sessions organizes over 100 concerts in the Netherlands as well as abroad. During the years 1993-1995 World Tours were organized which included concerts in Amsterdam, New York (Carnegie Hall), Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Montreal, Osaka, Koriyama, Kyoto, Kuracity and Tokyo with pianists Nicholas Angelich, Jan Biel, Philippe Giusiano, George S. Lopez, Libby Yu, and violinists Ken-Ichiro Aiso, Timothy Fain, Pavel Sporcl and Yuan-Qing Yu.
Among the special events held in the Netherlands in past years and featuring participants of TIHMS’s Summer Academy have been concerts at the ‘Beurs van Berlage’ in Amsterdam, the Nordic Festival for musicians from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Hungarian Festival highlighting musicians from Hungary and/or Hungarian repertoire, the Moonbeach Festival for musicians from Japan, presented in cooperation with the festival of the same name in Okinawa, and concerts with the American Chamber Orchestra ‘Il Palpiti’ conducted by Eduard Schmieder.
After a break of four years the tradition of organizing concerts abroad was reinstated in 1999 with concerts in famous concert halls in Europe.
At the turn of the millennium in 2000 new developments were welcomed, among them the official inauguration of the Concert Management Department of TIHMS and concerts by Laureates in both the Main Hall and the Recital Hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. On September 2 and 3, 2000 violinists Reiko Otani and Alexandru Tomescu, cellist Gavriel Lipkind and pianists Inon Barnatan, Peter Józsa and Stephanos Thomopoulos created an inspiring festival by performing in recital and as soloists with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (NCO) conducted by Philippe Entremont.
Looking forward to the season of 2005-2006, concerts are being organized in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Het Concertgebouw), The Hague, the Netherlands (Theater Diligentia), the Czech Republic (Prague, SUK Hall, Rudolfinum), in Russia ((The Tchaikovski Conservatory in Moskou, the Glazunov Hall in St. Petersburg, the Vologda Philharmonic in Vologda), Latvia (Riga, the Assembly Hall in Blackheads House), Estonia (Tallinn, the Estonia Concert Hall), Lithuania (Vilnius, The Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall) and in Romania (Bucharest, The Atheneum Roman). These concerts will also feature specially selected TIHMS musicians, the New Masters on Tour.
Participation in these programs is possible only after audition to the TIHMS Summer Academy. Auditions will take place either live or by videotape. (For details select <Summer Academy> here, or from the main menu on this website.)
While proud of its impressive history, The International Holland Music Sessions continues to reach into the future and its ongoing goal - to be a firm and inspiring bridge between professional training and the international concert stage.
TIHMS Participants in Competitions
For many participants The International Holland Music Sessions program has proven to be a successful ‘try out’ prior to participation at renowned international competitions. Among the winners of such competitions who were participants at TIHMS have been:
Nicholas Angelich (USA/France), winner of the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition (Salt Lake City, Utah).
Toros Can (Turkey), winner of the Concours International de Piano XXè Siècle d'Orléans.
Finghin Collins (Ireland), winner of the International Clara Haskil Piano Competition (Vevey).
www.finghincollins.com
Florin Croitoru (Romania), winner of the Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition (Vienna).
Martina Filjak (Croatia), winner of the Okidem International Music Competition and the Johannes Brahms Piano Competition (Vienna).
Philippe Giusiano (France), winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition (Warsaw).
Carla Leurs (Netherlands), winner of the International Tibor Varga Violin Competition (Sion).
Dmitri Makhtin (Russia), violin, winner of the Unisa International Music Competition in Pretoria.
Per Tengstrand (Sweden), winner of the Cleveland (Ohio) International Piano Competition.
Yayo Toda (Japan), winner of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition (Brussels).
Derek Wieland (USA), winner of the International J.N. Hummel Piano Competition (Bratislava).
2001:
• Violinist Soojin Han (Korea) won the second prize at the Wieniawski Violin Competition 2001 in Poznan.
2002-2004
• Violinist Andrej Bielow was winner of the 2nd prize and the public prize at the prestigious International Marguerite Long / Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris.
• Pianist Hando Nahkur won 3rd prize at the International Piano Competition ‘Città di Treviso’, one of the oldest and most important competitions in Italy.
• Cellist Laura Buruiana won the Young Concert Artists’ European Auditions in Leipzig, Germany in september 2002 as well as the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York in 2003.
• Pianist Colleen Lee (Hongkong) won second prize in the 1999 Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Competition, the first prize in the Third Seiler Piano Competition in Germany, and was first prize winner of the 'Dorothy MacKenzie Award' in New York during 'The 5th Annual International Keyboard Festival '.
• Pianist Alexandre Pirozhenko won the First Prize in the International Piano Competition Ibiza 2003. Also in January 2004, he won in New York the 1st prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
• The American pianist Tanya Gabrielian, 21 years old, won the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow on Saturday, September 18. 2004. Gabrielian was also winner of the 2003 Aram Khachaturian International Piano Competition.
• Cellist Giorgi Kharadzé (Georgia) won the third prize in the 2nd International Pablo Casals Competition in September 2004. He also won the special prize for the best performance of a Beethoven Sonata.
• On June 12, 2004, pianist Alice Sara Ott won the first prize (the Silvio Bengali Prize) at the Pianello Val Tidone Competition, Italy. Out of 60 pianists she was the youngest participant in this competition.
• Pianist Alexandre Pirozhenko won the first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, New York, USA (2004).
• In November 2003, pianist Adam Golka was named the First Prize winner of the 2nd China Shanghai International Piano Competition. He also received the Concerto Prize, voted by the audience after his performance in the finals of Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto.
Participants from the Netherlands
For many musicians from the Netherlands TIHMS has marked an important step in their career development - Violinists: Birthe Blom, Liza Ferschtman, Carla Leurs, Daniel Rowland, Wouter Vossen, Nadia Wijzenbeek; Cellists: Larissa Groeneveld, Wijnand Hulst, Evelien Prakke, Quirine Viersen, Marc Vossen; Pianists: Mirsa Adami, Bas van Bommel, Ellen Corver, Richard Flemming, Paolo Giacometti, Yoram Ish-Hurwitz, Frank van de Laar, Folke Nauta, Frank Peters, Bart van de Roer.
A brief history of The International Holland Music Sessions
The International Holland Music Sessions congratulates cellist Joris van den Berg. winner in october 2006 of the Amsterdam Cello Biënnale (First National Cello Competition).
October 2005: Pianist Colleen Lee (Hong Kong) was awarded sixth price at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, out of 312 participants.
Chu-Fang Huang, a 23-year-old Chinese pianist who studied at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, was named first-prize winner of the 2005 Cleveland International Piano Competition after the final round of concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra on Saturday at Severance Hall. Chu-Fang attended The Holland Music Sessions in 2003 and was selected for the TIHMS New Masters on Tour concerts.
On June 12, 2004, pianist Alice Sara Ott won the first prize (the Silvio Bengali Prize) at the Pianello Val Tidone Competition, Italy. Out of 60 pianists she was the youngest participant in this competition!
Pianist Alexandre Pirozhenko, who participated at TIHMS in 2003, won the first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, New York, USA (2004).
In November 2003, pianist Adam Golka was named the First Prize winner of the 2nd China Shanghai International Piano Competition. He also received the Concerto Prize, voted by the audience after his performance in the finals of Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto.
