Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson, Netherlands Chamber Choir & Martina Batič
Biographie Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Candida Thompson, Netherlands Chamber Choir & Martina Batič
Amsterdam Sinfonietta
comprises 22 gifted chamber musicians, embodying ensemble-playing at the highest level. Led by its artistic director Candida Thompson, the orchestra tours the world with adventurous programmes and crossovers with other music genres and art forms. Characterised by drive and dedication, Amsterdam Sinfonietta is considered to be the top string orchestra in the Netherlands and enjoys international acclaim. It champions and renews its own genre, captivating audiences with its innovative and refreshing approach. From the start the orchestra has embraced the entire repertoire for string orchestra, ranging from classics to newly commissioned works and striking arrangements.
Founded in 1988 with Lev Markiz as its first artistic director, Amsterdam Sinfonietta has gone on to enjoy international success under the direction of Candida Thompson since 2003, making successful tours of Europe, Australia, China and North and South America. It has performed in major concert halls throughout the world, including London’s Barbican Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the National Centre of Performing Arts in Beijing, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta undertakes intensive collaborations with national and international soloists. Top musicians such as Janine Jansen, Sol Gabetta, Kian Soltani, Thomas Hampson, Beatrice Rana, Fazil Say, Rufus Wainwright and Wende all share our desire to explore and expand the creative process and take an innovative approach.
Besides live performances, we regularly record CDs and music films in the studio. With our regular recording label Channel Classics we have issued 14 CDs since 2004, including The Mahler Album, The Argentinian Album and, most recently, Lento Religioso, a compilation of short arrangements for string orchestra. The orchestra has also made recordings for ECM, Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammophon. Our first classical music film Strings was premièred in March 2020, followed by the films Misirlou (traditional), Atashgah (Jacobsen) and Tango (Piazzolla).
Amsterdam Sinfonietta stands out for its adventurous programming. Besides championing the core string repertoire, the orchestra devises original and captivating combinations of music works, connecting old and new music and familiar and unknown repertoire. It also commissions new compositions and arrangements. Amsterdam Sinfonietta initiates surprising collaborations and creates groundbreaking programmes involving other art forms, such as film, dance and theatre.
Candida Thompson
is known for her extraordinary musical communication and honest musicianship. Her curiosity and research led her to pioneering programmes and collaborations crossing boundaries of culture, time and genre.
Candida studied violin with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music in London and completed them at the Banff Center for the Arts in Canada. An invitation for a series of masterclasses and concerts with Isaac Stern played an important role in her musical development. Candida has been invited in a play/direct role with groups such as the Chamber orchestra of Europe, City of London Sinfonia, Guildhall String Ensemble, Camerata Nordica, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Camerata Salzburg.
In 2003 she became artistic director of Amsterdam Sinfonietta: a top-notch string ensemble with an international focus and reputation. Play/directing the ensemble she has established a well-attended adventurous concert series in the Netherlands which frequently tours Europe, South America, China and Australia and has recorded cd’s for Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Decca, ECM and has a long relationship with Channel Classics.
Chamber music is always at the core of her musical activities. Performing with kindred musical spirits like Bruno Giuranna, Xenia Yankovich, Harriët Krijgh, Alexander, Gavrylyuk, Victor-Julien Laferrière, Iris Juda and Janine Jansen she shaped her musical taste and standard. Candida is invited to festivals such as the Kuhmo festival in Finland, Ernen festival in Switzerland, La musica Sarasota in the US, ‘Harriet & Friends’ in Austria and also performed at the Utrecht Kamermuziek Festival.
As a stong advocate for the heritage of classical music but also with a keen interest in today’s cultural developments Candida seeks artistic dialogue. This leads to compelling projects involving living composers such as Jörg Widmann, Thomas Larcher, Michel van der Aa, but also involving philosophers, photographers, urban dancers, actors, and light designers. Because Candida values the development of younger musicians highly, she is a regular guest at institutions like Villa Musica Chamber Music in Germany or the Guildhall School in London to coach and play with young talents.
Candida plays on a Guarneri, del Gesù (1698-1744) kindly on loan from a private collector.
Netherlands Chamber Choir
blending individual voices in perfect harmony. A community of artists coming together in choral singing at the highest level. Based in the choral city of Utrecht, we push the boundaries of the genre with innovative, urgent projects.
We perform the most beautiful choral music, often addressing societal themes, and collaborate with artists from various disciplines such as actors, dancers, VJs, and poets. We also collaborate with individuals from the fields of healthcare, education, and science. This way, we enrich the perspective on society for both our audience and ourselves.
We are dedicated to fostering a thriving, vibrant choral world. This includes initiatives like NKK NXT, our training program for young professionals, and our Singing Days across the country, investing in the wonderful Dutch amateur choral community. With YARA, we explore how choral singing can connect young people aged 12 to 16.
Martina Batič
has directed some of the world’s leading professional chamber choirs and is in demand as a conductor from Europe’s largest media houses for her experience in working with radio choirs.
She has won awards for her unique ability to captivate both chorus singers and audiences.
Born in Slovenia and educated in Ljubljana and Munich, Martina Batič studied with the great Swedish choir director Eric Ericson, winning the Eric Ericson competition for young choral conductors in 2006.
She began her career as conductor of the Slovenian National Opera Choir and later the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, and in 2018 she was appointed Musical Director to the Choir of Radio France in Paris.
Today she works regularly with all the foremost European choirs ‒ including, recently, the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir in Oslo, RIAS Chamber Choir in Berlin and the Bavarian Radio Choir in Munich. In August 2023, she took up the position of Chief Conductor of the Danish National Vocal Ensemble in Copenhagen, and since 2024 has held concurrently the same position with the Gulbenkian Choir in Portugal.
With her new Danish choir, Martina Batič looks forward to inspiring audiences to experience music in new and different ways. “A concert with choral music” she says “should feel like going on a journey where anything can happen”.
