COE Academy
The COE Academy was created in 2009 in order to give a select group of exceptional students the chance to study with the principal players of COE and, importantly, to give the students the opportunity to travel “on tour” with the orchestra, to experience, understand and be inspired by the orchestra’s unique artistic and European ethos and passion for making music.
COE Academy students are usually postgraduate students or young professionals who are recommended to the scheme by a member of the orchestra or are selected by audition as part of certain partnership programmes (i.e. currently with EUYO, Royal College of Music and Royal Northern College of Music). To ensure that places are offered to students on the basis of merit alone, all successful candidates receive full scholarships: tuition costs as well as travel, hotel and subsistence expenses are paid for by the orchestra. Apart from outstanding ability, the only other requirement is that they must be European citizens and resident in a European member state.
Each Academy student spends 3-5 days on tour with the orchestra receiving individual lessons and coaching from COE principals. Students sometimes have the chance to play with the Orchestra during rehearsals and play chamber music with other students and with members of COE. They are made to feel as if they are a member of the Orchestra for the time they are “on tour” and can experience the idealism and unique ethos of the COE: to share the member’s passion for making music at the highest level with likeminded friends from diverse European backgrounds.
The next chamber music course at the Royal College of Music in London will take place in the first week of October under the guidance of Mats Zetterqvist, Romain Guyot and Nicholas Thompson. The RCM Chamber Orchestra is directed by Mats for a public performance of Brahms’ Symphony No 2. on Friday 5 October at 6.15pm.
The wind players of the COE Academy are supported by the Rupert Hughes Will Trust in memory of the late Rupert Hughes.
How to apply
To apply for the COE Academy, please send your CV and two recordings (preferably solo) to Caroline Ferry at caroline@coeurope.org. Please note that there are no specific audition dates as they tend to be decided according to where and when the Orchestra travels.
Testimonials
Mihael Mitev
Slovenian bassoonist, COE Academy July 2017, Baden-Baden, Germany
Sinead O'Halloran
Irish cellist, COE Academy November 2017, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Livia Duleba
Hungarian flautist, COE Academy June 2013, Graz, Austria
Daniel Migdal
Swedish violinist, COE Academy December 2012, Ferrara, Italy
Mariona Mateu
Spanish double-bassist, COE Academy November 2012, Lucerne, Switzerland
Angelo Montanaro
Italian clarinetist, COE Academy November 2012, Paris, France
Boris Kertsman
Romanian trumpeter, COE Academy June 2012, Graz, Austria
Jana Ozolina
Latvian violinist, COE Academy April 2012, Ferrara, Italy
Kaija Lukas
Estonian violinist, COE Academy November 2011, Ferrara, Italy
Belma Alic
Bosnian cellist, COE Academy June 2011, Graz, Austria
Lydia Pantzier
German bassoonist, COE Academy January 2011, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rhona Bosch
Israeli trumpeter, COE Academy November 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Christopher Koppitz
Portuguese oboist, COE Academy July 2014, Baden-Baden, Germany
Klara Wincor
Austrian cellist, COE Academy November 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Romana Kaiser
Swiss-German cellist, COE Academy August 2015, Lucerne, Switzerland