
Between Thursday, October 29th and Saturday, November 7th, the Muziekgebouw and Bimhuis will be home to the biggest cello festival in the world: the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. With more than 85 concerts, family shows, masterclasses, the National Cello Competition, and an extensive side programme, the Cello Biënnale is the ultimate meeting place for music enthusiasts and cellists alike.
Shifting Borders
The theme of the 11th edition of the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam is Shifting Borders. Music has no borders. Where countries co-exist tensely, music from those very same regions will go together exceptionally well. Music is able to stretch those boundaries, shift them, and can even bring together people from different cultures. But Shifting Borders is also about stretching artistic borders. Investigative, creative cellists who experiment and can’t be labelled. Genres, combinations, and styles that merge together, surpassing all borders.
Everything by Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven composed five sonatas and various variations for cello and piano. Together, these compositions create a stunning panorama of Beethoven’s development as a composer, as well as forming an essential part of the core cello repertoire. All cello sonatas and variations will be performed during the Cello Biënnale 2026.
Cello Biënnale Amsterdam in BIMHUIS

Family Performance: CALM DOWN!!!
A musical family performance about our most feared emotion.

Family Performance: CALM DOWN!!!
A musical family performance about our most feared emotion.

The Comparison: Giovanni Gnocchi
Giovanni Gnocchi plays newly built instruments.

Cellofest: François Salque, Hermine Deurloo, Gwilym Simcock + Vincent Peirani
Lyrical jazz meets classical finesse.

Cellofest: Emir Cello, Kaan Yazici + Sander van Elferen
Rock, metal and Indonesian Keroncong.

Masterclass: Kian Soltani
Learn from pre-eminent international soloists and teachers.

Students Around The World
Concert programme by students of François Salque, Lausanne.

Cellofest: Nesrine
Sultry Mediterranean and Arabian music.

Cellofest: The Murakami Songs
Wandering through the unique world of the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.

Cellofest: Harald Austbø, Ernst Glerum + Han Bennink
Trio from the legendary Instant Composers Pool.

Cellofest: Metrocelli
The four cellists of the Metropole Orchestra.

Masterclass: Giovanni Gnocchi
Learn from pre-eminent international soloists and teachers.

Cellofest: Common Features
A new sound to connect cultures.

Masterclass: Steven Isserlis
Learn from pre-eminent international soloists and teachers.

Students Around The World
Concert programme by students of Giovanni Gnocchi, Salzburg.

Cellofest: Naomi Berril Trio
A fresh combination of Irish folk music, classical music, and jazz.

Cellofest: Friedemann Dähn Trio
Bernd Settemeyer drums Groove and swing from an unexpected angle.

The Comparison: Victor Julien-Laferrière
Victor Julien-Laferrière plays newly built instruments.

Masterclass: Leonard Elschenbroich
Lessons from great international soloists and pedagogues.

