Graduated in 1987 at the Rotterdam Conservatory with the highest possible mark (A with distinction). He won several awards, a.o. the second prize at the first "Thelonious Monk Jazzpiano Competition" (Washington D.C.), soloist awards in Germany/Belgium, the Wessel Ilcken Award (Holland) and the Dutch Grammy (Edison) for the cd "Rob van Bavel trio".
He made many cd's as a sideman and as leader: Rob van Bavel Octet and Rob van Bavel Trio. Some cd's released by RVB Productions, a.o. "Duo Rob van Bavel/Marc van Rooij LIVE".
Nowadays working as a teacher at the Rotterdam Conservatory (Codarts) and the Amsterdam Conservatory (Conservatorium van Amsterdam). Of course also performing (inter-)nationally with several groups, such as The Ghost, The King And I. Van Bavel played with Woody Shaw, Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, Johnny Griffin, Bob Mintzer, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Willis a.o.

Italian composer and conductor Bruno Maderna was one of the preeminent figures in contemporary European music in the mid-twentieth century. Born in Venice, Maderna was a child prodigy who played hot violin in a local combo and made his conducting debut at La Scala at age 12. By 1935 the course of Maderna's career was redirected by Italian fascists, who sent the talented child out to tour the capitals of Europe as a symbol of the superiority of the fascist order. Maderna was rescued from this depressing situation by prominent Veronese fashion designer Irma Manfredi, who took the now-adolescent professional musician under her wing and provided for his education.

At the age of six, Sebastiaan van Halsema (born in 1985 in Amsterdam) starts playing the cello with Denise Rosing at the Zaanstad Municipal Music School. He is accepted in the Young Talent Class of the Amsterdam Conservatory when he is twelve years old. He has been studying with Maarten Mostert in Amsterdam for six years. Sebastiaan continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London with teacher Louise Hopkins. In 2008 he graduated cum laude for his Bachelor and he also received the prestigious Concert Recital Diploma. In 2010 he also successfully completed his master’s study at the same school.
Sebastiaan was a prize winner at the 2003 national final of the Princess Christina Competition and winner of various scholarships including the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund award.
He regularly performs as a soloist and with orchestra. He is also a great fan of chamber music and he is active in various formations.

NedSym Lite is the versatile, eclectic ensemble of the renowned Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. During the last decade NedSym, next to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, has grown into one of Holland’s major orchestras. Under the passionate and visionary direction of Jan Willem de Vriend the orchestra has produced a large number of world class recordings for the respected Challenge Classics label. In an everlasting search for a larger audience for their beautiful music, NedSym decided to branch out into styles of music considered less serious or ‘heavy’, genres which are thought to be more entertaining and lighter – hence the name of the ensemble NedSym Lite. There was no need for NedSym to launch a search for suitable musicians throughout the country as one of their double bass players, Tim Nobel, had been dreaming of that kind of music making for quite some time. The ensemble, which he created in 2011, consists of Robert Windak (first violin), Annemarie van Viegen (second violin), Eva Suslikova (viola), Don Hofstee (gitaar) and artistic director and arranger Tim Nobel. “For me playing with these great musicians from the orchestra has always been a musical party,“ Tim Nobel exclaims. “Robert’s passionate disposition is just what this kind of music needs, Eva was brought up on Middle European music, Annemarie’s flawless intonation is a big plus and considering our variety of styles a versatile guitarist like Don is of the essence.” NedSym Lite excels in making the mishmash of musical styles – Brahms, Piazzolla, Cole Porter, Ravel, gypsy music and jazz – sound quite convincingly coherent. It’s Nobel’s arrangements and original compositions that provide the colour and flavour that makes all the music on their debut album sound NedSym Lite pur sang.