The Netherlands' AVROTROS Media Announces Artist in Residence

Violinist Simone Lamsma has been appointed the role for AVROTROS’s Friday Concerts

Violinist Simone Lamsma has joined the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS as Artist in Residence for the 2024/25 season — specifically for its Friday Concert series, which hosts weekly concerts featuring the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir, and guest ensembles.

In her new role, she has ample artistic freedom and works in consultation with the programmer to compile varied concerts for the weekly series. 

With an extensive repertoire of over 60 Violin Concertos, Lamsma has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, BBC Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, and more. 

Among her accolades include the national Dutch VSCD Classical Music Prize in 2010 for valuable contributions to the Dutch classical music scene. Lamsma began studying the violin at age five and moved to the UK at age 11 to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School. She made her solo debut three years later with the North Netherlands Orchestra and continued her studies at London’s Royal Academy of Music with Hu Kun and Maurice Hasson. 

Her upcoming programs with AVROTROS include Piazzolla’s Four Seasons on November 22, 2024, with members of the Radio Philharmonic, which will also feature alongside Lamsma in Korngold’s Violin Concerto with conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky on December 6. 

“There is so much beautiful music, and you only live once. I feel the urge to have a varied repertoire,” Lamsma said in the press release. “I have always felt at home at the Radio Philharmonic. That is because of the atmosphere and the people, the musicians are professional and warm. This is a no-nonsense group that works from the best attitude, with respect for each other.”

Lamsma’s familiarity with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic follows her first time performing with them at the age of 22 in Szymanovski’s Violin Concerto with conductor Jaap van Zweden. 

On January 31, 2025, she will give the world premiere of a new violin concerto written especially for her by Joey Roukens with the Radio Philharmonic and Markus Stenz. On February 21, she will give a recital with the Italian pianist Beatrice Rana.

“There is nothing better than working with a living composer,” she reflected on her collaboration with Roukens. “I told him what I like to play and what is further away from me. You are talking about taste then. Of course it is up to Joey to write what he wants.”

AVROTROS Vrijdagconcert (“Friday Concert”) is a production of AVROTROS in collaboration with NPO Klassiek, NTR, Stichting Omroep Muziek, and TivoliVredenburg. The concerts are also broadcast live on NPO Klassiek.

“Very happy to announce that I will be Artist in Residence of the AVROTROSVrijdagconcert in 2024/2025 performing 4 diverse programmes with fabulous musicians at TivoliVredenburg Utrecht,” Lamsma posted on Facebook. “Hope to see you at one of the concerts!”