Contratulations to five students from the Classical and Early music Departments who succesfully auditioned for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Academy and the Het Gelders Orkest - Academy.

Simon Poirier (1991), natural horn, and Juan Díaz Fernandez (1985), violone, have won the auditions for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Academy. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment enables exceptionally gifted period instrument players to work alongside the Orchestra and receive ongoing mentoring from the orchestra members. Simon Poirier studies natural horn with Teunis van der Zwart in the master programme. Juan Díaz Fernandez studied violone with Margaret Urquhart in the master programme, graduating in 2017.

Double bassists Jesse Solway (1988) and Lucía Mateo Calvo (1994) and cellist Sebastiaan van den Bergh (1990) have been admitted to the Het Gelders Orkest - Academy. This academy offers young, gifted musicians an opportunity to participate in orchestra productions for a whole concert season, while receiving mentoring by the orchestra members.
Jesse Solway studied double bass with Peter Stotijn en Olivier Thierry, obtaining his bachelor diploma in 2014. In 2017 he graduated from the master programme in violone, which he studied with Margaret Urquhart. Sebastiaan van den Bergh studied cello with Jeroen den Herder and graduated from the bachelor programme in 2014. He also studied Baroque cello with Viola de Hoog. Lucía Mateo Calvo studies double bass with Olivier Thiery in the master programme.