Emerging String players for Ulysses Musician Journey

Gaudeamus and Het Muziek (formerly known as Asko|Schönberg) team up for a special project to be presented at the Gaudeamus Festival 2026. We would like to compile a string orchestra for the festival. The string orchestra will be tutored by 5 dedicated musicians from Het Muziek and conducted and guided by Leslie Pérez-Canto Azaf. We offer 5 positions in the orchestra for emerging string musicians from Europe.

Inspired by the grand tours of classical musicians travelling through Europe and the goals of training and enriching the practices of young musicians, the Ulysses Platform brings together 15 European institutions for the promotion and professionalization of young composers and young performers in the domain of new music.

During this musician journey the five principals from Het Muziek will coach the orchestra string players during rehearsals with the side by side method. The orchestra is coached and conducted by Leslie Pérez-Canto Azaf. Two compositions will be rehearsed for a performance at the Gaudeamus Festival:

• to try to remember what it left by Sing-Yat Chen (2001, Hong Kong), a work that was selected by the jury for the Gaudeamus Award 2026
• Perceptual Dialogues by Soheil Shayesteh (1989, Iran), a concerto for kamancheh, trumpet, live electronics, visuals and orchestra. Trumpetist is the world famous Norwegian jazz trumpet player Nils Petter Molvær

Besides the rehearsals and performances Gaudeamus will offer several other elements to the selected musicians, like workshops and lectures on entrepreneurship in the contemporary music world, networking moments with other musicians, colleagues and professionals.

Application is open for FIVE STRING PLAYERS:

• 2 first violins
• 1 second violins
• 1 viola
• 1 cellist

Eligibility & Submission Details
These musician journeys are offered within the framework of the Ulysses Journeys programme by the Ulysses Platform, designed to offer emerging artists a wide variety of concrete experiences (masterclasses, residencies, workshops) in various domains (composition, improvisation, performance, electronics, sound design, curating) in order to improve their skills under the leadership of world-class mentors.

Applicants must:

• be born after January 1, 1994
• any nationalities, residing in Europe (no travel fees outside Europe can be reimbursed)
• be able to speak and understand English
• the artist has to be EU-based, but an EU-passport is not required
• must still be based in EU in September 2026
• MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FULL PERIOD IN UTRECHT (NLD), 9-13 SEPTEMBER 2026
  • date of travelling: Wednesday September 9, 2026
  • rehearsals: Thursday September 10 – Saturday September 12 (morning/afternoon), 2026
  • performance: Saturday September 12 (evening), 2026
  • date of departure: Sunday September 13, 2026

APPLICATION DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026, 12pm CEST (Amsterdam GMT).

You will hear whether your piece has been chosen via a personal reply by email on Friday, May 1, 2026. We will have a first online meeting in May 2026 all together.

Jury
Jury members will be: string players from Het Muziek, conductor Leslie Pérez-Canto Azaf (Het Muziek), artistic director Martijn Buser and curator Jonás Bisquert (Gaudeamus). Jury selection is irrevocable.

What we offer:

• 5 days of accommodation are covered
• travel is covered
• per diem (if food and drinks are not offered on location)

How to apply?
Apply via the form below:

• Link to 2 videos:
  • 1 video where you briefly introduce you IN ENGLISH as a musician (education, professional experience, repertoire) and explain why you want to join this string ensemble
  • 1 video recording where you perform a solo work or a work for ensemble that you are a part of composed after 1950
• CV and biography
• PDF score of the piece that you play in the video