About Gitaristenpodium Zwolle
The Dutch Guitar Foundation aims to promote the classical guitar throughout the Netherlands, our slogan is ‘Spread Some Guitar Love’ for a reason! For this reason, we are proud to give the concert series in Zwolle a third season! Once again this year, up-and-coming talents on the guitar will be heard in this beautiful city. Last season, we heard the acclaimed guitarist Francisco Luís, and the wonderful guitar duos Duo Denicija and the Fosshaug Prentner duo.
This year, three new guitar concerts will take place where the young talents of the classical guitar world will take the audience by storm with enchantment. We will begin the concert series with a concert by our very own dutch talent Rick Doornbos, followed by the rising stars Samrat Majumber and Mark Leighton known among other things from their spectacular participation in the Groningen guitar competition. Once again, all concerts in this series will take place at the Theodora Chapel in Zwolle.
Buy your tickets soon and look forward to a great season of exciting guitar music in the heart of Zwolle!
Rick Doornbos
24th of November, 2024
Rick Doornbos (born 1996) is a guitarist and composer from the north of the Netherlands. From the moment he first started playing guitar at the age of 9, it was clear to him that he wanted to do nothing else but that. In those first years of guitar lessons, he was actually into creative things right away. He preferred to play his own compositions rather than the pieces he was taught by his teacher. Over the years, that hasn’t changed much; he still likes playing his own compositions.
Rick started his studies at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen at 19, with Sabrina Vlaskalic. There he studied the Bachelor of Classical Music, the Bachelor of Music Teaching and the Master of Music. Rick has had several guitar teachers at the conservatoire. Besides the aforementioned Sabrina Vlaskalic, he has also had lessons with Goran Krivokapic and with Kristina Vårlid. Rick has also taken many master classes with Leo Brouwer, Aniello Desiderio and Gabriel Bianco, among others.
During his performances, Rick is always working on new, creative ways of interpreting the music he plays. It is important to him to tell his own story with the pieces he plays. Finally, Rick is busy composing a lot. At concerts, he mainly plays his own works.
Samrat Majumber
16th of March 2025
Samrat Majumder is a Scottish-Indian classical guitarist. Currently studying Konzertexamen at the Robert Schumann Hochshule, Düsseldorf, with Professor Alexander Ramirez, Samrat also holds a MMus from Royal Conservatoire in the Hague (cum laude) under the tutelage of Professor Enno Voorhorst and a BMus from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) (with Honours of the First Class) having previously studied with Professor Allan Neave. Prior to higher education, Samrat studied with Peter Stewart at the Junior School of the RCS.
Internationally, Samrat has won prizes in competitions across Europe. These include: 1st Prizes at Iserlohn; LIGITA; Baltic Guitar Festival; Harmonia Cordis; Twents; Aalborg and 2nd Prizes at Koblenz (including the Savarez Bach Prize); Groningen; Plovdiv; Sarajevo; Uppsala.
Outside of performing activities, Samrat is co-founder of the Classical Guitar Reach Foundation of India (CGRFI) which organises classical guitar educational events across India. Samrat is also an ambassador for the Guitar and Harp department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Mark Leighton
Date tba
Mark Leighton is an aspiring young guitarist and composer from the UK. Using innovative interpretations of the standard guitar repertoire, alongside original compositions, Mark conjures up a kaleidoscope of romantic and post romantic themes for the audience.
An award winning guitarist, Mark has met with success in international guitar competition, most notably first prizes at the Groningen Guitar Festival this year and at the Vilnius Scarlatti Award in 2022. Recent second and third prizes at Graz and Antwerp also attest to the effectiveness of this innovative approach. Additionally, Mark was the winner of both the Sponsorship and D’addario prizes from the European Guitar Award 2024.
Mark studied with Craig Ogden at the RNCM in the UK at undergraduate level. He is currently working towards a masters degree at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität conservatoire in Linz with Campbell Diamond.
Mark Leighton is a D’addario Artist and plays D’addario strings.
Previous Artists
2023 / 2024
Francisco Luis
26th of January 2024
Francisco Luís, born on July 22nd, 1998, in Caldas da Rainha, is an internationally recognized artist who has won over 30 prestigious awards. Widely regarded as one of the most talented artists of his generation, Francisco began his musical journey at the age of 10 at the Conservatory of Caldas da Rainha under the guidance of Professor Luís Roldão.
His performances have captivated audiences from diverse backgrounds, showcasing his remarkable skill and profound interpretations. Francisco’s repertoire incorporates a wide range of styles, featuring innovative elements like classical improvisation, his own compositions, and unique arrangements. With his dynamic and fresh approach to music, he has left a lasting impression on countless listeners worldwide.
Duo Denicija
5th of April 2024
Macedonian Anastasija Mileska and Aleksandar Andrijevski have been performing as Duo Denicija since 2018. In the same year, the duo won the first prize at the international competition “Ida Presti” in Hungary. Both had already won several major prizes as soloists at that time. Anastasija and Aleksandar completed their individual bachelor and master studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne where, as a duo, they continued to complete a master’s degree in chamber music. The duo has given concerts at various international festivals in recent years. Their varied repertoire includes compositions by such greats as Bach and de Falla as well as works by contemporary composers.
Dylan Prentner & Andreas Fosshaug
27th of September 2024
Andreas Fosshaug and Dylan Prentner are two of the rising talents of the Guitar in the Netherlands. Currently both studying with Kristina Vårlid, these two players aspire to push the boundaries of the classical guitar. They share a large sum of awards between them, among which both having won the youth category of the Antwerpen Guitar Festival and having been finalists in the Grachtenfestival Concours. Apart from being soloists, Andreas and Dylan also play together as a duo. Combining their solo and duo repertoire allows them to showcase the unique marriage between their equally strong personalities.