News
Arjan Tien appointed Principal Conductor in Cape Town!
Dutch conductor Arjan Tien has been appointed Principal Conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, starting from January 2026. Internationally praised for his refined sense of style, attention to detail, and infectious energy, Tien is regarded as one of the most dynamic conductors of his generation. He will work together with the new CEO, Adriaan Fuchs, who was Director of Festivals and Special Projects at Carnegie Hall.
Also a new appointment as Associate Professor
Alongside his new position in Cape Town, Tien will also join Stellenbosch University as Associate Professor, focusing on the training of the next generation of conductors. This appointment strengthens his long-standing commitment to education and talent development on an international level, hence his current position as Artistic Supervisor of the South African Conductors’ Competition.
Education, Mentorship, and International Collaborations
Maestro Tien is currently professor of conducting at the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Maastricht. He is a frequent guest lecturer for masterclasses in Amsterdam, Cape Town, Bucharest, and Copenhagen. Since 2021, he has been Chief Conductor of the VU Orchestra Amsterdam, works regularly with the Netherlands Student Orchestra, and has previously collaborated with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands (JON). Later this year, he will conduct Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the combined conservatory orchestras of Aachen, Maastricht, and Liège.
Previous Chief posts
As Chief Conductor of the Magogo Chamber Orchestra (2006–2012), Tien introduced innovative concert formats and led more than sixty world premieres. Simultaneously, he served as Chief Conductor of the Atheneum Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Subsequently, he held the position of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (2017–2024), earning international recognition with acclaimed Channel Classics recordings of rarely performed repertoire. A highlight was the original version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with Gershwin himself as the soloist.
International Guest Conductor
Tien is a regular guest with the North Netherlands Orchestra, Wermland Opera (Karlstad), PhilZuid, WDR Funkhausorchester (Cologne) and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Residentie Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Kyiv Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, Royal Bangkok Symphony, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, as well as in opera productions with Opera Zuid, Dutch Touring Opera, and Gauteng Opera (Johannesburg).
With his artistic vision, innovative approach, and dedication to education, Arjan Tien continues to make a lasting impact on the international music world.
Hawijch Elders wins Premio Mormone
The First Prize was awarded to Dutch violinist Hawijch Elders (b.1998), who played Paganini’s Concerto no.1 for the final performance at Teatro alla Scala! She receives a €30,000 cash prize, a recording of an album with Universal, plus three years of additional artistic management coordinated by the Fondazione La Società dei Concerti, with engagements in Italy and abroad. She also received the prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Sonatina V by Fabio Vacchi.
Hawijch Elders is a Dutch Violinist, and she is the second Queen Elisabeth 'Artist in Resident', who won a big international First Prize in a month After Nikola Meeuwsen.
Listen here to a recent recording of Hawijch Elders and Nikola Meeuwsen, organized by the Dutch National Instrument Foundation.
Valse-Scherzo, Op.34
Mélodie, Op.42
We also gratefully acknowledge the NL Talentenfonds for their valuable support of Hawijch Elders throughout this competition. And a very big gratitude for Enrica Ciccarelli, Artistic Director of Fondazione La Società dei Concerti in Milano.
Gile Bae - New Album
About this album
As Peter Wollny reminds us in the liner notes, Bach’s keyboard concertos constitute a group of innovative works of historic importance, marking the true beginning of the very genre of the keyboard concerto. It is natural, therefore, that they have entered the standard repertoire of pianists, some of whom have left us landmark recordings, even though the more recent discography, especially, is on the whole somewhat limited.
The young and talented pianist Gile Bae (who was born in the Netherlands, is Korean in origin, and has close ties with Italy) presents us with a new recording of the first five concertos in a project that is also a “Journey in Italy” unique of its kind, for each concerto was recorded in a different location of the Bel Paese that Bach loved without having ever visited it.
Bae’s fellow travellers on this project are the Archi di Santa Cecilia and their director Luigi Piovano, who with this album make a further addition to their successful collaboration with Arcana. The project is enriched with a bonus DVD which contains the filming of the recording of each piece.
2025
September
Arjan Tien appointed Principal Conductor in Cape Town!
Dutch conductor Arjan Tien has been appointed Principal Conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, starting from January 2026. Internationally praised for his refined sense of style, attention to detail, and infectious energy, Tien is regarded as one of the most dynamic conductors of his generation. He will work together with the new CEO, Adriaan Fuchs, who was Director of Festivals and Special Projects at Carnegie Hall.
Also a new appointment as Associate Professor
Alongside his new position in Cape Town, Tien will also join Stellenbosch University as Associate Professor, focusing on the training of the next generation of conductors. This appointment strengthens his long-standing commitment to education and talent development on an international level, hence his current position as Artistic Supervisor of the South African Conductors’ Competition.
Education, Mentorship, and International Collaborations
Maestro Tien is currently professor of conducting at the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Maastricht. He is a frequent guest lecturer for masterclasses in Amsterdam, Cape Town, Bucharest, and Copenhagen. Since 2021, he has been Chief Conductor of the VU Orchestra Amsterdam, works regularly with the Netherlands Student Orchestra, and has previously collaborated with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands (JON). Later this year, he will conduct Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the combined conservatory orchestras of Aachen, Maastricht, and Liège.
Previous Chief posts
As Chief Conductor of the Magogo Chamber Orchestra (2006–2012), Tien introduced innovative concert formats and led more than sixty world premieres. Simultaneously, he served as Chief Conductor of the Atheneum Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Subsequently, he held the position of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (2017–2024), earning international recognition with acclaimed Channel Classics recordings of rarely performed repertoire. A highlight was the original version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with Gershwin himself as the soloist.
International Guest Conductor
Tien is a regular guest with the North Netherlands Orchestra, Wermland Opera (Karlstad), PhilZuid, WDR Funkhausorchester (Cologne) and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Residentie Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Kyiv Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, Royal Bangkok Symphony, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, as well as in opera productions with Opera Zuid, Dutch Touring Opera, and Gauteng Opera (Johannesburg).
With his artistic vision, innovative approach, and dedication to education, Arjan Tien continues to make a lasting impact on the international music world.
June
Hawijch Elders wins Premio Mormone
The First Prize was awarded to Dutch violinist Hawijch Elders (b.1998), who played Paganini’s Concerto no.1 for the final performance at Teatro alla Scala! She receives a €30,000 cash prize, a recording of an album with Universal, plus three years of additional artistic management coordinated by the Fondazione La Società dei Concerti, with engagements in Italy and abroad. She also received the prize for the best performance of the commissioned work, Sonatina V by Fabio Vacchi.
Hawijch Elders is a Dutch Violinist, and she is the second Queen Elisabeth 'Artist in Resident', who won a big international First Prize in a month After Nikola Meeuwsen.
Listen here to a recent recording of Hawijch Elders and Nikola Meeuwsen, organized by the Dutch National Instrument Foundation.
Valse-Scherzo, Op.34
Mélodie, Op.42
We also gratefully acknowledge the NL Talentenfonds for their valuable support of Hawijch Elders throughout this competition. And a very big gratitude for Enrica Ciccarelli, Artistic Director of Fondazione La Società dei Concerti in Milano.
May
Gile Bae - New Album
About this album
As Peter Wollny reminds us in the liner notes, Bach’s keyboard concertos constitute a group of innovative works of historic importance, marking the true beginning of the very genre of the keyboard concerto. It is natural, therefore, that they have entered the standard repertoire of pianists, some of whom have left us landmark recordings, even though the more recent discography, especially, is on the whole somewhat limited.
The young and talented pianist Gile Bae (who was born in the Netherlands, is Korean in origin, and has close ties with Italy) presents us with a new recording of the first five concertos in a project that is also a “Journey in Italy” unique of its kind, for each concerto was recorded in a different location of the Bel Paese that Bach loved without having ever visited it.
Bae’s fellow travellers on this project are the Archi di Santa Cecilia and their director Luigi Piovano, who with this album make a further addition to their successful collaboration with Arcana. The project is enriched with a bonus DVD which contains the filming of the recording of each piece.
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