Violinist Tjeerd Top departs the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to take up the leading role in Rotterdam

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Violinist Tjeerd Top © Ronald Knapp

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The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the appointment of violinist Tjeerd Top as its new concertmaster. Top made his debut with the orchestra on 22 January 2025 with the Dutch National Opera production of Die ersten Menschen.

Top joins the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra having previously served as associate concertmaster with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) since 2005. He served as guest concertmaster with Rotterdam on previous occasions, as well as with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic, the WDR Sinfonie Orchester, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the Swedish Radio, Radio France and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.

‘I’m very excited and extremely proud to start this new job,’ said Top in a video statement.

Top studied with Qui van Woerdekom and Jaring Walta at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where he completed his bachelor’s degree with distinction in 2000. He obtained a master’s degree, again with distinction, under Alexander Kerr at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he currently teaches violin.

Top is a first prizewinner of the Oskar Back Competition, He has given solo performances with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Holland Symfonia, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and Camerata RCO.

He performs regularly with the Vermeer Trio on a variety of chamber music series. Together with pianist Mariana Izman, he was selected for the Debuut series and performed with harpist Lavinia Meijer on the Concertgebouw’s concert series showcasing young Dutch musicians. As a result of this concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Top and Meijer were given the Fortis MeesPierson Award.

Top plays a 1713 Stradivari violin, acquired with support of a private benefactor and provided to him in loan via RCO donors’ foundation Stichting Donateurs.

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