Rotterdam Philharmonic Appoints New Concertmaster

Dutch violinist Tjeerd Top, who was previously Associate Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, will step into the role

Dutch violinist Tjeerd Top has been named the new concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic and played his first concert in the position on January 22, 2025. He was previously Associate Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a role he has held since 2005.

Top studied with Qui van Woerdekom and Jaring Walta at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague — before completing a master’s degree with distinction at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he studied with Alexander Kerr.

He won the Oskar Back Competition and also received the Kersjes van de Groenekan Fund Prize along with pianist Mariken Zandvliet.

As a soloist, he has appeared with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Holland Symfonia, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Costa Rica. Top is also a violinist of the Vermeer Trio.

He has frequently appeared as guest concertmaster with orchestras throughout the Netherlands and further afield, including with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Bamberger Symphoniker, and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

"I'm very excited and extremely proud to start this new job," Top said. "The first production I'll be doing is Die Ersten Menschen, by the German composer Rudi Stephan, and it will be held in collaboration with the National Opera in Amsterdam. It's fantastic music, it's quite a shocking drama on the stage, but it's absolutely worth seeing and listening to it."