Congratulations! Coraline just graduated with a 10! Ten is a magical number for her, because that’s also the number of years she spent with us. She joined the School for Young Talent Programme in 2010 and stayed with us through her Bachelor and Master, where she studied with internationally acclaimed violinist Vera Beths. “It’s like leaving your home. I will miss the familiarity of this school”, she says in retrospect. From February onwards, you can hear Coraline in the Concertgebouworkest in Amsterdam. She was accepted into one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world. “I did a blind audition and was the first of 40 violins, playing behind a vail. The jury only sees you as a number on a list, so they can focus on your sound impartially. It was quite exciting to play first. You set the tone for the entire audition and you hope that in the end, after hearing all 40, they haven’t forgotten you yet.” Coraline has extensive experience in orchestra playing. She started in the Nationaal Jeugdorkest and joined the Ensemble Academy as well as the Orchestra Master Specialisation at the Royal Conservatoire. The Ensemble Academy is an incubator for talented musicians and composers to gain first-hand experience in professional ensembles and a great opportunity to build a network in the Dutch cultural sectors. In addition, the Ensemble Academy will teach you how to program, promote and organize a concert. After this, she joined the RCO Academy and the rest is history.

One last advice from Coraline: Know what you want and always ask for help if you need it!