Credit photo: © Sarah Wijzenbeek.
Ella van Poucke, born in Amsterdam in 1994, is one of the leading cellists of her generation.
Praised for her musical integrity, flawless instrumental abilities as well as her performing presence and intensity, the Dutch cellist belongs to the top rank of today’s generation of cellists.
After making her debut at the Concertgebouw at the age of 10 she has been performing in all the major halls of the Netherlands, in many top halls in Europe and in the U.S. and Asia.
She is the winner of the prestigious Premio Chigiana 2017, the first prize winner of the International Isang Yun cello competition 2015, the Grachtenfestival Prize, the Leopoldinum Award 2015, Prix Nicolas Firmenich 2013, Elisabeth Everts Award 2014, Prix Academie Maurice Ravel 2012, Dutch Musician of the Year 2012 and recipient of the special prize ‘recognition of an outstanding performance’ at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann 2014.
As a soloist Ella has performed with the HR-Sinfonie Orchester, Brussels Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Rotterdam Philharmonic Strings, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Orchestre Della Toscana, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Havana Youth Orchestra, Varsovia Chamber Orchestra, Symfonie Orchestra of Vlaanderen, Polish Chamber Orchestra, Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra, Junge Sinfonie Berlin, Hamburger Camerata, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra and collaborated with artists as Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Sanderling, Karina Cannelakis among others.
In November 2012 she premiered a new cello concerto, which was written for her by the Finnish composer Uljas Pulkkis during the International Cello Biennale in Amsterdam.
In September 2013 she premiered the same work in Germany at the Kronberg Festival, with members of the HR-Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt.
Ella regularly appears on Dutch Radio and Television and has performed for ARTE TV in Germany and France. She appeared in Germany’s “Stars von Morgen” hosted by Rolando Villazon.
As a passionate chamber musician, Ella has performed with Andras Schiff, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Tabea Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Viviane Hagner, Gidon Kremer, Colin Carr, Pavel Vernikov, Andreas Reiner, Vilde Frang, Simone Lamsma, Christiaan Bor, Philippe Graffin, Prazak quartet, Schumann quartett among others.
For many years she regularly performs in recital with pianist Jean-Claude vanden Eynden, Caspar Vos, and her brother Nicolas van Poucke.
She has been guest in numerous international festivals such as Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Krzyzowa Music, Chigiana International Festival, Kaposfest Hungary, Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht, Grachten Festival Amsterdam, Kronberg Festival, Cello Biennale Amsterdam and was invited to participate in Verbier Festival Academy in 2009, 2013 and 2014.
As a Dutch ‘Rising Star’ Ella was invited to give two Carte Blanche concerts in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2013-14.
In the summer of 2017 she was Artist in Residence with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and in August 2018 Ella was Artist in Residence of the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam.
This season Ella is Artist in Residence at the “Vrijdag van Vredenburg” series in Utrecht, where she will perform several times as a soloist with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and in chamber music with her friends and inspirations including Gary Hoffman.
In 2019 Ella performed the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam together with her brother Nicolas among other venues. In 2018 she toured with all the Bach suites.
In 2020 Ella released her debut album, devoted to Schumann’s works for cello, which was very well received worldwide. The Gramophone wrote: “This is an impressive album from a soloist whose performances I look forward to hearing more of in the future.”
The year 2023 marks the 150th birthday of Sergei Rachmaninov. Ella’s next album will be a tribute to his chamber music and focuses on the monumental sonata for cello and piano which she recorded with pianist Caspar Vos.
In 2022 Ella was appointed cello professor at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
Born into a family of musicians, Ella began playing the cello at the age of six. Entered the Royal Conservatory of The Hague at the age of 10 and later continued her studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Godfried Hoogeveen. From 2009-2016 Ella studied with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy Masters in Germany. From 2016-2019 she was an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels, where she studied with Gary Hoffman.
Since November 2022, Ella has been playing a newly made cello by Patrick Robin (France). It is lent by Strings For Talent a fund under the aegis of the King Baudouin Foundation.
Patrick Robin, violin maker, devotes himself to the making of violins, violas and cellos and to sound adjustments for an international clientele of professional musicians. He established himself in Angers in 1988, sharing his workshop at that time with Andrea Frandsen. In 2006, he moved his studio to a villa facing the Loire River, a bright and inspiring site where he enjoys making his instruments and welcoming musicians.
Graduating from the Newark School of Violin Making in 1984, he received the Royal Oakden Cup for outstanding achievements. He then moved to Bremen to join an international team of restorers led by Roger Hargrave, where he repaired, adjusted and studied in depth some of the most outstanding Italian instruments of the classical schools.
In 1991 the 1st International Violin Making Competition of Paris awarded him two Gold Medals for violin and cello together with le Prix de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts and le Prix de la Fondation Marcel Vatelot. He has also received Gold Medals for a viola at the Mittenwald Competition in 1989 and for a cello at the Manchester Strad Cello Making Competition in 1994.
He has served since on the juries of a number of international violin-making competitions.
In November 2000, Patrick Robin was promoted to the rank of Maître d’Art by the French Ministry of Culture.
He has given lectures and taught courses at the British Violin Making Association at Dartington, at the Oberlin Violin-Making Workshop, at Oberlin College in the United States, at ALADFI conferences, at the Santiago de Queretaro School of instrument making in Mexico, at the Australasian Violin Making Conference in Australia, at the Chinese Luthiers Congress in Shanghai, etc.