When he was still a student, bassoonist Bram van Sambeek (1980) won first prize at the Prinses Christina Councours and the national final of the Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland's music competition. In 2009 he was the first bassoonist to receive the Nederlandse Muziekprijs, the most prestigious honour in Dutch music. From 2002 to 2011, Van Sambeek was Principal Bassoonist at the Rotterdam Philharmonic. In this period he also gave frequent guest performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Since 2011, he has focused on a career as a soloist and chamber musician. He regularly plays with the Prazak Quartet and the Matangi Quartet, as well as being a member of the Schulhoff Trio and the Orlando Quintet. As a soloist Van Sambeek recorded Bassoon Concertos (2009) and Bassoon-Kaleidoscope (2012) on Brilliant Classics. He's also planning to record bassoon concertos by the Finnish composers Sebastian Fagerlund and Kalevi Aho on the BIS label. Van Sambeek covers a broad repertoire and with his exceptional technique and appealing stage presence attracts a wide audience. This is why he was asked to be ambassador of the Save the Bassoon Campaign, which was co-launched by the Holland Festival in 2015. Van Sambeek is also artistic director of the 2017 Liquid Music Festival in Amsterdam.