The Orchestra

The Dutch Student Chamber Orchestra (Nesko) was founded in October 1964 to give students the chance to play in a chamber orchestra.

Nesko is a project orchestra of around 45 members. Every year it is put together anew from ambitious students at Dutch educational institutions who play music at a high level alongside their studies. They get the chance to spend two intensive weeks working on chamber music repertoire. Under the direction of a renowned conductor, they rehearse a programme that the Nesko board and the conductor select from the rich chamber music literature. Nesko is keen to give young talent a stage. Every year, a talented young musician gets the chance to perform as a soloist with the orchestra. In recent years, Nesko has performed with Maria Milstein, Niek Kleinjan and Niek Baar, among others. Nesko also likes to include commissioned works in its programme, giving young composers the chance to work with a large chamber orchestra.

By tradition, Nesko rehearses for a week in Idskenhuizen, Friesland, and then spends a week on tour through seven (student) cities in the Netherlands. Every concert ends with an after-party, and orchestra members stay with host families in the concert cities.

At Nesko, the level of playing and originality come first. This has earned the orchestra a reputation for quality and an independent spirit. In short, Nesko is a special orchestra full of young talent, where intensive music-making and a great sense of fun come together.

Lunch concerts

The thing that makes Nesko extra special is that, alongside the regular performances with the full chamber orchestra, the members also play chamber music in smaller groups.

During the rehearsal week, several chamber music ensembles are formed, and these ensembles perform Nesko's lunch concerts. Every year we pay extra attention to these ensembles, to take both the music and the musicians to a higher level.

With the lunch concerts, Nesko wants to introduce people to classical (chamber) music in an accessible way. The lunch concerts take place at special venues in the cities we visit, such as prisons, rehabilitation centres and asylum seekers' centres. The concerts often turn out to be a very special experience for both the audience and the orchestra members.

Would you like Nesko's musicians to give a concert at your organisation? Please get in touch with our sponsorship coordinator!

Besides this form of social engagement, Nesko also supports the UAF Foundation for Refugee Students every year by collecting donations at each concert.