Cécile Huijnen

Cécile Huijnen studied with Davina van Wely and Jaap van Zweden, and won many prizes from a young age. For example, in 1987, she won first prize of the Oskar Back Violin Competition together with the Bading Award. In 1990 she graduated cum laude, also receiving the Nicolai Award and the Fock Medal, while being appointed first concert master of the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra.
Since 2000, Cécile Huijnen is related to the same function for The Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra. Furthermore, she is also a highly sought-after international guest concert master for orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, The Residence Orchestra, The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, L’Orquestra de Camara de Cadaques led by Sir Neville Marriner, and Symfonica Toscanini led by Lorin Maazel. Also, she leads her own chamber music programs with Het Gelders Orkest, with repertoire from the Baroque up to the 20th Century.
As a soloist, Cécile Huijnen profiled herself with late-romantic violin concertos such as Strawinsky, Barber, Gershwin, Shostakovich, and Korngold, but also enjoys stepping out to the more classical and romantic repertoire, such as Mozart’s Concertante, the Grand Duo Concertant by Bottesini with double bass player Rick Stotijn, and Brahms’ Double Concerto with cellist Gary Hoffman.
By working closely together with many different disciplines such as dance, theater, and chamber music ensembles, in combination with her profession as concert master, Cécile Huijnen takes great inspiration from the widest possible musical repertoire. She is always in search of new challenges and adores to keep on extending her musical boundaries.
Since her many collaborations with choreographers such as Jirí Kylían and Paul Lightfoot, Cécile regularly embarks on national and international tours with the Netherlands Dance Theater as a soloist. Also tours with many widely recognized and highly valued Baroque and modern-oriented ensembles took her all across the globe.
Since 2013, Cécile Huijnen forms a recital duo with accordionist Marieke Hopman, with whom she arranges and edits mostly romantic repertoire into unique versions for their very extraordinary combination of instruments.
Lastly, Cécile Huijnen works as a coach for the Netherlands Youth Orchestra, as a member of the jury for the Princess Christina Competition, as an individual audition trainer, and as a guest panel member of the recurring radio show Discotabel on Radio 4.