Ralph Van Raat

After Gaining The International Baccalaureate Diploma Pianist And Musicologist Ralph Van Raat 1978 Studied The Piano With Prof. Ton Hartsuiker And Prof. Willem Brons At The Conservatory Of Amsterdam And Musicology At The University Of Amsterdam. During His Piano Studies Which He Concluded “Cum Laude" With Distinction In 2002 Van Raat Was Admitted To “The Provision For Outstanding Musicians” A Special Training Course Offered Alongside The Regular Curriculum. He Also Concluded His Musicology Studies With The Mention "Cum Laude" With Distinction 2003 . As A Part Of The Advanced Programme Of The Conservatory Of Amsterdam Van Raat Studied Also With Claude Helffer In Paris With Ursula Oppens At Chicago’s Northwestern University With Liisa Pohjola In Finland And With Pierre-Laurent Aimard At The Musikhochschule In Cologne. Van Raat Also Has Taken Part In Several Masterclasses At Home And Abroad Made Possible Through A.O. A Prince Bernhard Cultural Trust Fellowship. Among The Prizes Van Raat Has Won Are The Second Prize And Donemus-Prize For Contemporary Music Of The Princess Christina Competition 1995 The Stipend-Prize Darmstadt During The “Internationale Ferienkurse Fur Neue Musik” In Darmstadt Germany 1998 First Prize Of The International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition 1999 The Philip Morris Arts Award 2003 The Elisabeth Everts Prize 2005 The International Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship 2005 VSCD Classical Music Prize 2005 And The Fortis MeesPierson Award Of The Concertgebouw Amsterdam 2006 . Van Raat Appears As A Recitalist In The Netherlands And Abroad In Europe The Middle-East And Asia As Well As The United States. Many Of His Concerts Have Been Broadcasted By Dutch As Well As Foreign Radio And Television Networks. In 2006 Ralph Was Given His Own Radio-Series Of 6 Programs For The Dutch National Radio NPS Radio 4 In Which He Dealt With Contemporary Music And Accessibility. Van Raat Performs As A Soloist With Ensembles And Orchestras Including The Nieuw Ensemble Jurjen Hempel Cond. The Tanglewood Festival Of Contemporary Music Ensemble Ludovic Morlot Cond. The Radio Symphony Orchestra Of Frankfurt Lucas Vis Cond. The Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra Etienne Siebens Cond. London Sinfonietta David Porcelijn Cond. The Dutch National Youth Orchestra Reinbert De Leeuw Cond. The Brabants Orkest O.L.V. Reinbert De Leeuw The Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic Orchestra Aleksander Skulsky Cond. The Radio Chamber Orchestra Peter Eötvös Cond. And Marc Soustrot Cond. The Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Roman Kofman Cond. And The BBC Symphony Orchestra In The BBC Proms Series. He Played At Important Festivals Such As The Holland Festival The Time Of Music Festival In Viitasaari Finland And The Tanglewood Summer Festival In The United States. Several CD’s Have Been And Will Be Released On Attacca Erasmus Naxos NM-Classics 20th-Century Classics And Q-Disc. Since December 2006 Ralph Has An Exclusive Contract With The International Record Label Naxos. Van Raat Regularly Collaborates With Composers And Many Of Them Have Dedicated Their Piano Compositions To Him. Both At The Utrecht Conservatory And The Conservatory Of Amsterdam Van Raat Teaches Contemporary Piano Music. As From 2003 Van Raat Is A Steinway Artist. Official Site Http //www.Ralphvanraat.Com read less