About
Rotterdam-based Ensemble Oihua has been active since 2018. During this time, they have organized several projects, primarily in Spain and the Netherlands. Their programs pay special attention to social issues and have been featured at important Dutch festivals, such as Muze Van Zuid in Amsterdam, Music Meeting in Nijmegen and the November Music Festival in Den Bosch amongst others. Their project Spain's Silenced Voices has been invited by the Spanish Ministry of Justice for the closing act at: 1939, Exhibiton of the Spanish Republican Exile and presented in festivals such as The Festival for Democratic Memory and Human Right,s Giulia Tamayo in Soria.Ensemble Oihua is connected to the national New Music Now network, with which they have created multiple projects.
Below is a description of the ensemble written by the November Music Festival:
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"Sometimes you want to scream. Out of despair over all the injustice and warmongering in the world. Composers and musicians are also searching for answers in these confusing times. Ensemble Oihua, founded by Spanish-Belgian composer and violinist Saskia Venegas, stands at the forefront of this moment with its performances. Oihua (The Scream) plays works by contemporary composers that reflect on social issues and philosophical questions."
Saskia Venegas Aernouts
​Saskia Venegas Aernouts is a Spanish/Belgian composer, music theater maker, and violinist, now based in the Netherlands. Venegas approaches music as a means of reflection and a way to protest the injustices of the world we all live in. Through her work, she appeals to the human subconscious and empathic capacity while simultaneously fostering personal critical thought. Her interest in human socio-political behavior significantly influences her work, often inspired by the theories of Bertolt Brecht and Augusto Boal. She applies their dramaturgical insights to the creation of interdisciplinary art performances, with music as the central element of the performance narrative. Her compositional palette includes works for solo instruments such as the cello cycle “Medusa,” written for Maya Fridman, which tells the story of PTSD through the hidden narrative of the ancient myth of Medusa's abuse. Her chamber works "A veces, el silencio es la peor mentira" (Sometimes Silence is the Biggest Lie), "Gatos Salvajes" (Wild Cats), and "The House of Silk - Whispers of the Ebro” address the crimes against humanity that occurred during the Franco regime, and her symphonic poem "At the Aegean Shores," performed by the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Basque National Orchestra, reflects on her experiences as a volunteer in a refugee camp on Lesbos in the summer of 2016. Her passion for interdisciplinary work includes collaborations with luminaries such as acclaimed Swiss director Milo Rau on the productions "Orestes in Mosul" and "Family," and with Iraqi director Hassan Khayoon on "Republic of Fear,” among others. Venegas is the founder and artistic director of the Dutch contemporary music Ensemble Oihua (The Scream in Basque) since 2019, an ensemble focused on performing works by contemporary composers that reflect on social issues and philosophical questions. Her advocacy through this platform includes the project "Spain’s Silenced Voices," which she initiated in 2018. It focuses on recovering and showcasing music by composers who were oppressed or, in some cases, murdered during the Spanish dictatorship. "Spain’s Silenced Voices" was invited by the Spanish Ministry of Justice as the closing act for the 80th anniversary of the Spanish Republican exile exhibition in Madrid. During 2024 and 2025, Saskia is undertaking the Nieuwe Makers (New Makers) trajectory at the Music Meeting festival, where she will create two new productions. During this trajectory, she will have coaches to guide her, such as the renowned violinist and founder of the legendary American Kronos Quartet, David Harrington, acclaimed vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer, Guggenheim Fellow and Paul Simon Music Fellows Guest Jen Shyu, and renowned composer and artistic director of the music organization National Sawdust in New York, Paola Prestini, among others. Venegas holds a bachelor’s in classical violin, a master’s in New Music Theatre, and a second bachelor's and master’s degree in musical composition (under the guidance of Wim Henderickx).
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Txemi
After finishing his bachelor studies in Bilbao (Spain) on the speciality of French Horn Txemi Etxebarria moved to The Netherlands in order to continue there with the Master study. Besides jazz and piano, he studied four years with the Duch composer Jef Penders. It was then when he decided to start studying orchestra conducting, first in Maastricht and afterwards in Antwerpen, where he obtained successfully the Master degree in that speciality.
After working as an assistant conductor in the Philharmonie Zuidnederland (The Netherlands) and Le Concert Olympique (Belgium) he was chosen to conduct in 2017 the opening concert of the World Music Competition (WMC) in Kerkrade with the Philharmonie Zuidnederland.
He also worked with orchestras like the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philarmonie Koblenz (Germany), The Young Symphony Orchestra of Limburg (The Netherlands) or the orchestra of The National Opera & Ballet Oleg Danovsky (Rumania).
In 2016 Txemi was finalist of the Black Sea Opera Competition and was chosen by Jan Cober to conduct the closing concert of the course ‘Maestro’.
During four years he has been the conductor of Opéra Comique Maastricht and since 2015 Txemi works regularly with several 1stdivision wind bands.
In Spain he has conducted in halls like the Kursaal in San Sebastian and the Baluarte of Pamplona.
In the contemporary music world he has worked with music groups as the Ensemble XXI (Antwerpen) en nowadays he is the conductor of the COMA Maastricht ensemble and the ensemble Oihua (Rotterdam).
Txemi Etxebarria
After finishing his bachelor studies in Bilbao (Spain) on the speciality of French Horn Txemi Etxebarria moved to The Netherlands in order to continue there with the Master study. Besides jazz and piano, he studied four years with the Duch composer Jef Penders. It was then when he decided to start studying orchestra conducting, first in Maastricht and afterwards in Antwerpen, where he obtained successfully the Master degree in that speciality.
After working as an assistant conductor in the Philharmonie Zuidnederland (The Netherlands) and Le Concert Olympique (Belgium) he was chosen to conduct in 2017 the opening concert of the World Music Competition (WMC) in Kerkrade with the Philharmonie Zuidnederland.
He also worked with orchestras like the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philarmonie Koblenz (Germany), The Young Symphony Orchestra of Limburg (The Netherlands) or the orchestra of The National Opera & Ballet Oleg Danovsky (Rumania).
In 2016 Txemi was finalist of the Black Sea Opera Competition and was chosen by Jan Cober to conduct the closing concert of the course ‘Maestro’.
During four years he has been the conductor of Opéra Comique Maastricht and since 2015 Txemi works regularly with several 1stdivision wind bands.
In Spain he has conducted in halls like the Kursaal in San Sebastian and the Baluarte of Pamplona.
In the contemporary music world he has worked with music groups as the Ensemble XXI (Antwerpen) en nowadays he is the conductor of the COMA Maastricht ensemble and the ensemble Oihua (Rotterdam).
Carmen Terol Grau
Carmen Terol is a versatile flutist who feels comfortable working in many different musical scenes. She obtained her flute and flute pedagogy Bachelor diplomas at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid, Spain. Afterwards, she studied a flute Master degree at Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Tilburg, graduating in 2015.
She has played with different professional orchestras such as Antwerpen Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta de Cámara de España, Orquesta Opus23, among others. Chamber music is her passion, and she is very active in this field. She has played with Rubik Ensemble and Distractfold Ensemble and she is a member of the contemporary music ensemble Oihua. With this ensembles she has realized different collaborative projects with visual arts and theater. Since February 2017 she is the flutist of the Proyecto Zarza, an interdisciplinary project designed by Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid in which musicians, singers, and actors come together on stage to revive the Spanish musical genre of Zarzuela. Besides her work as a flute player, she is flute teacher at the MOC Spijkenisse where she also organizes interdisciplinary and collaborative projects with the MOC students and different associations such as Dans Studio KP and association Zuidwester for people with a mental disability (Stichting Zuidwester voor mensen met verstandelijke beperking) where she is also volunteer giving music workshops.
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Panos Gklistis
Born in Salamina, Greece where he took his first piano lessons.
His musical journey began a year before he went to the local music school when he started imitating his music teacher in the elementary school and playing all children’s songs taught in the class, at home. A year after he joined the music school started composing his first pieces.
10 years later he moved to Thessaloníki in order to study music composition and classical piano.
Panos has participated as a pianist, composer and stage performer in several solo and chamber music concerts, film and theater productions, installations and recordings.
He is also an experienced piano and music theory teacher.
His main focus is to enrich his artistic language in order to communicate in a more simple, direct and intimate way with the audience. He is also particularly interested in new music theater. As a result he has created his own staged pieces, “A Bloody Fruity Opera”, “Gary the Snail” and “Pina Colada”.
Moreover, he is a member of DollyPop piano Duo with Theofilos Lamprianidis, AKOM ensemble (contemporary and new music ensemble) and IAL collective (which focuses on interdisciplinary collaborations and has organized improvisation as a point of departure)
Panos holds a Bachelor degree in composition (2008, University of Macedonia, Thessaloníki, Greece), a Bachelor in Piano(2013, Codarts, Rotterdam) and a Master’s in piano (2015, Fontys, Tilburg).
Because of the school’s flexible study program he got to study classical and contemporary piano with, Hans Eijsackers, Hakon Austbo, Ellen Corver, Jelena Bazova and staged dramaturgy with Barbara Duijfjes.
Mayuko Takeda
Mayuko Takeda was born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1988. She started playing clarinet at the age of 9 and joined to student wind band.
In 2004-2007, She joined the HBC Jr. Orchestra, appearing on the HBC television network and they had a tour in Europe in 2007 including performing in Smetana Hall (Prague) and Musikverein (Vienna).
In 2011, she earned a Bachelor’s of Music from Sapporo Otani University where her teacher was Noboru Taga. That same year, she relocated to Rotterdam to study at Codarts, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. She finished her Bachelor’s program on Bass clarinet in June 2015 and her Master’s on clarinet in 2017 where her teachers were N. Braithwaite on clarinet and Henri Bok, Davide Lattuada (Het Concertgebouw Orkest), Romke-Jan Wijmanga (Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest) and Fie Schouten on bass clarinet.
Mayuko has been an active member of the NJO (Nationaal Jeugd Orkest) 2014-2015 as a clarinet and Bass clarinet player. In October 2016 she has been selected for NPhM (Neue Philharmonie München) as a bass clarinet player. She has also performed in master classes for Luís Gomes (Portugal), José Luis Estelles (Spain), Sauro Berti (Italy), and Luís “Montanha”Afonso (Brazil) for Bass clarinet, Michel Arrignon (France) for clarinet, Christopher Redgate(England) for contemporary music master class.
She is also active in chamber music. She was a member of Marbel Ensemble 2015-2018. Now she is a member of AKOM ensemble since 2013 and Lotus duo since 2018.
Robin Eggers
Robin Eggers is an English-German percussionist currently living in Rotterdam, NL.He was born in Würzburg, Germany in 1986.Robin has always had a passion for both music and theatre, and has been on stage as an actor since the early age of 5 and started playing percussion at the age of 7.Robin studied with percussionist and composer Eckhard Kopetzki between 2004-2006 before moving to the UK to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 2010.He continued his studies at Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory where he gained a Masters degree in 2014 with a specialization in theatrical percussion.Since moving to the Netherlands, Robin has performed with various ensembles such as Asko-SchönbergEnsemble, Slagwerk Den Haag, Veenfabriek, Ensemble Klang, David Kwecksilber Big Band, Operagroep The Fat Lady and Het Zuidelijk Toneel to name a few.Robin enjoys performing classical contemporary music, however he also has experience in rock, pop, jazz, latin styles and free improvisation.His theatrical work includes a wide range of performances such as the lead actor of a play, as a body percussionist, a member in contemporary music theatre productions, performing in musicals, playing music within circus shows, and performing with a percussion ensemble in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”.Besides his various work as a freelance percussionist, Robin is the drummer of the Art-Rock band Human 2.0, who released their debut album in June 2018.Robin is a passionate and enthusiastic percussion teacher for over 10 years and enjoys passing on his knowledge and experience to future generations.His musical journey has seen Robin perform in Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, France, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, USA and Canada.
Alejandra Rony
Alejandra Rony is a double bass player originally from San José, Costa Rica where she began her musical studies in 2002. At an early age she became part of different ensembles and performed in renowned venues in Central America accompanying soloists like Plácido Domingo. In 2010 she decided to go deeper in classic music and traveled to Mexico to study a music bachelor´s degree with the Russian teacher Alexei Diorditsa. During her studies she was invited to be part of professional orchestras such as the Minería Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the National University of Mexico and many other different ensembles playing in different forums in Mexico City and through the country.
Looking for bigger challenges, in 2016 she traveled to The Netherlands to study a master degree at Codarts, University for the Arts in Rotterdam, with the double bass player Matthew Midgley. During this period she also developed an artistic research titled: “An exploration of the new techniques for solo double bass through the music by Teppo Hauta Aho and Stefano Scodanibbio”.
She has been invited to perform with Rotterdam Chamber Music Society-Julien Hervé, Sinfonia Rotterdam-Conrad van Alphen, Metropole Orchestra-Vincent de Kort, Doelen Ensemble-Ari van Beek, Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra-Peter Santa, Kamerkoor Akkoord-Wim Dijkstra, Gergiev Festival-Valerie Gergiev, Orchestra of the Americas 2018-Carlos Miguel Prieto, The Fat Lady-Tamir Chasson and many more.
Alejandra has received master classes with Miloslav Jelínek, professor at the Janáçek Academy of Music and performing Arts in Brno, Dominic Seldis, pric. bass at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Luis Cabrera, princ. bass at Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Edicson Ruiz, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Matthias Hendel, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin and has received orchestral training with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Academy.
Sara Moreira
Sara Moreira Marques began her music studies when she was six, at the Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian in Braga, Portugal. There, in 2008, she completed the Music Theory course and Voice studies in Maria José Ribeiro de Carvalho’s class, receiving the school’s Artistic and Academic Merit Awards.She continued her studies at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa (ESML), where she concludedin 2011 her Bachelor Degree in Classical Voice, in LuÃs Madureira’s class and was involved in the debut of the school’s Opera Studiothe following year, developing the role of Amore/Erasto in Gluck’s Paride ed Elena with vocal director Nicholas McNair, musical director Pedro Castro and stage director Clara Andermatt.She moved to the Netherlands in 2012 and was invited to join Meesters en Gezellen, an ensemble project where a group of talented young singers develop a full chamber choir concert programme, coached by Geert Berghs and masters from the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Capella Amsterdam, under the direction of Kaspars Putnins. She started her Masters in Classical Voice at Codarts Rotterdam the next year.In 2015 she concluded her Masters Degree in Classical Voice at Codarts Rotterdam, in Roberta Alexander’s class.
Since then, Sara performs often as a soloist in a broad repertoire that expands from early Baroque to contemporary music and other styles such as folk / traditional music and jazz / light music arrangements and as a freelance ensemble singer with several choirs, such as Studium Chorale Maastricht and Het Koor van de Nationale Opera.Her profound interest in new music is recognizable on her Chamber Music projects: SaraS duo with the saxophonist Sarah Wünsche,her duo with the percussionist Renato Penêda and ensemble Oihua.
Iván Nogueira
He was born in Vigo (1990, Galicia – Spain). Music attracted him early in his childhood and at eight years old he began to play the cello at the conservatory in his home city, his principal cello teacher being Isabel Figueroa. At his graduation, he won the “End of Degree Prize”. He was then admitted to study at CSMA, (Zaragoza, Spain) where he continued his training with Mayte GarcÃa and Fernando Arias. Iván also received at CSMA a very valuable education on the Suzuki teaching method. On 2015 he successfully obtains his Master degree on “Cello- Performance Practice” at Codarts, Rotterdam Conservatorium.
Iván is an experienced chamber music and orchestra cellist, having performed with Holland Symphonie Orkest, Camerata Rotterdam, Orquestra Vigo 430 and Galicia Youth Orchestra among others. Recently he’s collaborated with Metropole Orkest at the last “Avond van de Filmmuziek”, which took part in Het Concertgebouw. He is also interested in the contemporary performance practice. He had the opportunity to work with Nacho de Paz at Academia Para la Nueva Música (Spain), which takes place in CSMA, and with the AKOM Ensemble (Rotterdam). It was there that he performed the most important music of the 20th and 21st centuries, working with the new generation of composers.
In 2011 he became a member of Orquesta TÃpica Central, one of the first large tango orchestras in Spain, performing in such important venues such as Sala Mozart (Zaragoza), with great success. In the Netherlands, he also got the chance to keep developing his activity on this field with Septeto Camaleón, with whom he recently recorded an album (May 2018).
He also participates very actively in the creation and development of different artistic projects, which are now his biggest sign of identity. In 2013 he creates Breton Piano Trio, classical music ensemble which brought him to “Mendelssohn Festival 16” (Hamburg, Germany). On the same year, he also leads the creation of DOT Quartet (jazz/folk string quartet) with whom he recorded his first original album in 2016 (“Travelers”) and offered concerts in The Netherlands, Greece, and Spain. More recently, he creates Agathe Ensemble, a collective of musicians which is able to perform chamber music both in large and small settings. Together with BlueMoon Duo, accordion and cello, Iván explores new sound concepts within the classical, contemporary, jazz and folk music.
Stefano Sancassan
Stefano Sancassan (Genova, Italy, 1990) started playing viola at 15, and graduated cum laude under Fabrizio Merlini at Conservatorio Puccini in La Spezia, Italy, where he also studied Composition with Carlo Galante and Andrea Nicoli. In 2018 he obtained a MMus Degree at Codarts Rotterdam - University for the Arts, in the class of Julia Dinerstein. Stefano took part in the Masterclass of, among others, Nobuko Imai, Maxim Rysanov, Alexander Gordon, Mikhail Kugel, Danusha Waskiewicz, Ula Ulijona, Simonide Braconi. He also has deepened his interests for historical performance practice with Antoinette Lohmann. During his studies in Rotterdam, Stefano was selected for the “In de baan van... Brahms” project - organised by Noorderkerkconcerten in Amsterdam, where he played in String Quintet and Sextet settings alongside Candida Thompson and Harriet Krijgh - and for the Rotterdam Chamber Music Society “Altviool!” concerts - where he had the chance to play an all-viola program with members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Stefano always cultivated a great fondness for orchestral playing, taking part in various youth orchestras - such as Italian Youth Orchestra, Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza, Young Talents Orchestra E&Y (as Principal Viola) - and successively working as remplaçant with professional orchestras both in Italy and the Netherlands - Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini (also as Co-Principal), Sinfonia Rotterdam, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Rotterdam Philharmonic - under the conduction of, among others, Riccardo Muti, sir Neville Marriner, Krzysztof Penderecki, Lahav Shani, Alexander Lonquich, Kent Nagano, Wayne Marshall, Leonidas Kavakos, Pascal Rophè, Alpesh Chauhan. At the moment, Stefano regularly works as remplaçant with PhilZuid and Phion. In recent times, Stefano became a member of Libero Ensemble, a strings orchestra based in Zwolle and devoted to the creation of multidisciplinary performances, and the contemporary music ensemble Oihua.
Nikos Stavlas
Greek pianist Nikos Stavlas studied at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (Igor Petrin, Diploma and First Prize, 2003), at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki (Vinia Tsopela, BMus with distinction, 2005) and at the Royal College of Music (Yonty Solomon and Kathron Sturrock, Masters Degree with distinction, 2007), financially supported both by the Greek State Scholarship Foundation and by the RCM itself. He holds a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London (Andrew Zolinsky and Keith Potter) on Ludwig van, a film and a musical composition dedicated to Beethoven by the Argentinian composer Mauricio Kagel.
He has appeared several times as a soloist with orchestras in Greece, Albania and the United Kingdom, and performs regularly in solo and chamber music concerts in Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. He has recorded live for BBC Radio 3, Catalunya música, and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). As a member of the Zalas Trio, he has appeared in the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall in London. With the Tetrachord Piano Ensemble he has explored repertoire for 4 pianists on 2 pianos and premiered pieces written for the group, most notably at the Athens Concert Hall. With the contemporary music ensembles Ciklus and Oihua, he has performed experimental music in Spain and the Netherlands. With the soprano Patricia Caicedo he has studied, performed and recorded music by Catalan and South American composers.
Nikos has taught piano masterclasses for advanced adult pianists for several years at Morley College and City Lit in London. As an instrumental coach, he has accompanied students at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, at the Royal College of Music in London, and at the Royal Conservatoire in the Hague. He is the principal accompanist of the Barcelona Festival of Song, and coaches chamber music groups at the Grittleton chamber music course in the UK.
Aleksandra Kwiatkowska
Aleksandra Kwiatkowska (1991) is a Polish violinist based in the Netherlands. In 2021, she earned her master's degree in Baroque violin studies with distinction for her artistry under the guidance of Kati Debretzeni and Walter Reiter at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 2015, she completed her studies in modern violin at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, studying with Julia Jakimowicz-Jakowicz, Jakub Jakowicz, and Magdalena Szczepanowska.
As a violinist and chamber musician, she has participated in numerous concerts and festivals across Europe, Indonesia, and the United States. She has collaborated with groups such as 'Il Gardellino,' 'Opera2Day,' 'New Dutch Academy,' 'Collegium Vocale Academy,' 'Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester,' and 'Airport Society Company.'
In March 2022, Aleksandra released her first solo album featuring Ivan Khandoshkin's Violin Solo Sonatas, Op. 3, published by Etcetera.
Since January 2022, Aleksandra has been playing on a Georg Klotz violin from 1796 and a Baroque bow by André Klaassen, thanks to the National Musical Instrument Fund in the Netherlands.
Helena Sousa
Interested in all music styles and specialized in the contemporary classical music world, HelenaSousa Estévez, accordionist, collaborates very actively with composers to work as a soloist oras an ensemble or orchestra member.Currently based in The Netherlands, Helena has been part of international projects andfestivals in different countries such us United States, Mexico, South-Africa, France, Germany,Denmark, Portugal, Spain, or The Netherlands. She has premiered many music works withensembles or orchestras such us Real Filharmonía de Galicia, DoelenEnsemble, Ensemble Linea,Vertixe Sonora -member since 2023-, Inner Duo -co-founder and member since 2020-, orEnsemble Intercolor -co-founder and member from 2015 until 2022-.Helena obtained her Bachelor studies in 2015 in Musikene, Basque Country, Spain, with IñakiAlberdi, and after her Master diploma in 2017 in the Haute École des Arts du Rhin, Strasbourg,France, with Pascal Contet. She has also attended several masterclasses with musicians such asJuan Carlos Cárcamo, Pedro Pascual, Aníbal Freire, Alexey Artemyev, Anne Landa, Oleg Sharov,Vyacheslav Semionov, Víctor Prieto, Jesús Torres, José María Sánchez-Verdú, Marco García dePaz, Veli Kujala, Geir Draugsvoll, Iñaki Alberdi or Wim Warman, among others.Besides working as a performer, Helena is in other fields related to music: she gives musiclessons as a private music teacher as well as being part School of Music Rotterdam since 2018,and since May 2024 she is the conductor of the accordion ensemble Grandioso con Anima inThe Hague.Helena is as well a current member of SKVR, Stichting Kunstzinnige Vorming Rotterdam, one ofthe largest centre for the Arts in The Netherlands.
More info: https://helenasousa.com/