Royal Northern College of Music, YMF Showcase, November 2003
![[Navarra String Quartet]](images/2003sc/navarra300.jpg)
The Navarra String Quartet was formed in September 2002 at the Royal Northern College of Music and consists of three Dutch members and one British member. They study with the Director of Chamber Music, Dr. Chris Rowland and have attended masterclasses with Tom Kemp, Alan George, the Sorrel Quartet and the Endellion Quartet. The Navarra Quartet won the Weil Prize for classical and twentieth-century music in November 2002. They have given several recitals in Manchester including performances as part of the prestigious 2002 RNCM MendelssohnFest and in June 2003 they gave recitals as part of the Music in Warwickshire Churches season as well as concerts in Amsterdam. Most recently they represented the RNCM in a concert at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Xander Van Vliet (violin) started to play the violin at the age of seven. After two years, he entered the class for talented young people at the Conservatoire of Enschede in the Netherlands. When Xander was thirteen years old, he was accepted into the Conservatoire of Amsterdam. He studied there with Maarten Veeze, Jaap van Zweden, Jan Repko and Ilya Grubert. Xander now studies with Jan Repko at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He has won prizes at the Princess Christina Competition and has performed Bruch's Violin Concerto and Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Twents Symphony Orchestra.
Marije Ploemacher (violin) started violin lessons at the age of seven. After three years she was accepted at the Conservatoire of Utrecht to study with Joyce Tan. In 1988, she went to the Sweelinck Conservatoire in Amsterdam where she studied with Jan Repko, Ilya Grubert and Davina Van Wely. Marije won prizes at the Princess Christina Competition and the Iordens Viooldagen. For several years she was the leader of the Youth String Orchestra of the Netherlands with which she also performed as a soloist. In September 2002, Marije came to Manchester to study at the Royal Northern College of Music with Jan Repko.
Simone van der Giessen (viola) started to play the violin at the age of six at the music school in Amsterdam, and at the age of nine received private tuition from Julia Veerling and later from Jeroen de Groot. Simone gave regular performances and won prizes at the Princess Christina Competition. When Simone finished high school, she auditioned for a place at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she now studies with Jan Repko. She combines her solo violin studies with playing the viola in the Navarra Quartet.
Nathaniel Boyd (cello) started studying the cello at the age of four at the Preparatory Department of the Guildhall, and at the age of nine joined the Junior Guildhall School of Music where he studied with Selma Gokcen. He also studied regularly with William Pleeth. He was principal cellist of both the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and the String Ensemble, with which he appeared as soloist. He has performed in numerous chamber music festivals both in England and abroad at venues such as St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Barbican. In March 2002, he performed Boccherini's G major Cello Concerto at St. James's Piccadilly with the London Pergolesi Sinfonietta and was subsequently invited to return as soloist. On finishing school, Nathaniel was offered full scholarships to study at the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Northern College of Music. Nathaniel is now in his third year at the RNCM where he studies with Hannah Roberts.