Daniel began his studies in earnest at Abingdon School as a music scholar, before attending Durham University. Having achieved a first class degree in music he moved to London to study with Alexander Boyarsky at the Royal College of Music and subsequently with Louise Hopkins. Within six months of completing his postgraduate studies Daniel had been appointed a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

His RPO career spanned almost ten years under the directorship of two great maestros; Daniele Gatti and Charles Dutoit, and included numerous tours of North America and Europe as well as visits to China, Korea and Japan.

In 2012 Daniel was thrilled to be offered the position of Principal Cello with Royal Northern Sinfonia and is now very proud to call the North East his home. He lives in Tynemouth minutes from Longsands beach where he indulges his new found interest in surfing.
Daniel remains a cellist in demand as a both chamber and orchestral musician and works regularly in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, particularly during the Proms season.
He has appeared with Sting as principal cello of the European leg of the Symphonicities tour and with Danish art-rockers Efterklang as well as making regular appearances with composer Anna Meredith’s eclectic band Horsebox.
Daniel plays a distinctive modern Italian cello by Guillermo Rossi, made in Pavia in 1925.

Christian Martinez commenced his percussion studies in his home town of Cali in Columbia. Later followed studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and at Rogaland Music Conservatory in Stavanger. In 1996 he graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, the same year he became a member of Esbjerg Ensemble.

Christian Martínez has participated as a chamber musician and soloist at several festivals and concerts in Scandinavia,Europe, USA, Latin America and Taiwan. Most recently at the Nordic Music Days Festival in 2010, Athelas New Music Festival in 2011, Percussion Plus Festival Aarhus in 2012 and Kalliokuninkala Festival in 2012 and Percussion Plusin 2014, both in Finland. In January 2014, Esbjerg Ensemble collaborated with “the king” of baritones, Omar Ebrahim, in the first Scandinavian performance of György Kurtágs, “Pas a pas, nulle-part” for baritone, string trio and percussion.

In the year 2010, Christian Martinez released his first soloCD “Rhythmical Séance” with Per Nørgård’s I Ching as well as pieces by Ivar Frounberg and Ejnar Kanding. The collaboration with Nørgård led to 2 new pieces included in this CD: a concerto for percussion and ensemble called Three Scenes as well as Arabesques I, II, III (2011) for solo percussion. Both pieces are dedicated to Christian Martínez and Esbjerg Ensemble.

Mikkel Egelund Nielsen and Simon Wildau met during their studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. In 2009 Mikkel and Simon formed the AROS guitar duo to play a number of concerts in Bergen and since then, they have played numerous concerts in Denmark and abroad. Both Simon and Mikkel have won prestigious awards as soloists and as a duo at international competitions including the 1st prize at Omiš Guitar Fest (Croatia), 1st prize at Fiuggi International Guitar Festival (Italy) , 2nd prize at the Acerra International Guitar Competition (Italy) and most recently 1st prize at Liechtensteiner Gitarrentage 2018 (Liechtenstein). In 2017, they received the special prize for the best performance of a new Danish work at the P2 chamber music competition, where they performed John Frandsens guitar duo “Twilight”.

Both guitarists have individually finished the advanced postgraduate diploma (soloist class) at The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus. Nielsen has a Master’s Degree in Music from Cologne and Wildau has a Master’s in Music from Barcelona. In september 2018 they made their debut from the advanced postgraduate diploma (soloist level) as a duo at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen after studies and supervision with Associate Professor in classical guitar Jesper Sivebæk and Professor Tim Frederiksen. In addition, the Aros duo has studied in Barcelona during the period 2010-2011 with the Spanish guitarist Àlex Garrobé and attended masterclasses from various international soloists and professors.

Joke Wijma has been a member of Esbjerg Ensemble since 2005.

“Playing Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Sea Eagle” for solo horn outdoors, while a bird of prey show took place, has been the most remarkable experience I have had with the Ensemble.”

After studying with Frank Brouns and Hans Dullarert at the Conservatory in Groningen, Joke Wijma continued her studies at the Hochschule for Music and Theatre in Hamburg, where the Dutch hornist Ab Koster was professor.

After graduating in 2004, she continued her studies with Koster as well as working with the Duisburger Philharmoniker as an intern.

Ron Chen-Zion has been a member of Esbjerg Ensemble since 1993.

“When I was 11, I happened to get the mail one day and found among them an advertisement that read: “Learn to play an instrument inonly three months”.

When I subsequently turned up at the music school, they only had one instrument for loan: the clarinet. We were two students who had to share the instrument and because we had clarinet lessons onThursdays, the other student and I each had the clarinet three days a week”.Ron Chen-Zion began his studies with Richard Lesser of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1986 he moved to the US where he continued his studies and graduated from the New England Conservatory.

In 1990, Ron Chen–Zion was appointed solo clarinetist atThe State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra. As achamber musician, he has quite frequently been invited to Rudolf Serkins Marlboro Music Festival in the United States and has performed in most of Europe, Israel and the Americas. Ron Chen-Zion has recorded several CDs, including one highly praised rendering of Max Regers’ pieces for clarinet and piano.

Kerstin Thiele has been a member of the Esbjerg Ensemble since 1986.

“It was a fortunate coincidence that led me to start playing the flute. My sister and father were part of the local brass band, and when they needed a flute player, I gladly took on the position.”

Kerstin is a board member, appointed by her fellow musicians. She pursued her studies with solo flutist Toke Lund Christiansen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Professor Andre Jaunet in Zurich.

In addition to her role in the Esbjerg Ensemble, Kerstin Thiele actively participates in the music scene both domestically and internationally. She also serves as a teacher at the South Jutland Academy of Music.

Born in Bucharest in 1999, David Daniel Dinu is an oboe player based in Copenhagen.

He finished his Bachelor degree at the National University of Music in Bucharest and now is under the tutelage of Professor Max Artved at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, enrolled in a postgraduate degree.

He has played with Tivoli’s Promenade Orchestra, Danish Chamber Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and has won the position as the Solo-oboe with Esbjerg Ensemble.

It was a bit scary in the beginning to find out that it is not that easy to play the bassoon. Like, I played the first month on a plastic reed I found in the case of the music school instrument and was advancing really quickly. I was naturally in my mind on my way to become the next genius superstar of the bassooning, the one that would just change the way we think about everything in life. Then it hit me that there is a number of tone exercises, study pieces and scales to play and a huge number of wooden mouthpieces to make yourself before I could actually even dream about any kind of professional musician’s life. The instrument case started to feel really heavy and I became very upset for a moment.

By the following weeks and months I was still in a way curious to find out how one actually could produce tone, a phrase, different sounds on this strange instrument so I kept playing it every now and then, not really much though. The lucky part for me really was that at already a very early stage of my bassoon hobby, after some months of struggle,

I met new friends, teachers and other musicians among some colleagues-to-be with whom I was immediately able to relate in terms of enthusiasm, joy of playing and the way you think about your art and music. Knowing that someone shared my views and likes to do things that I like as well was a powerful experience that made the technical limit so much more bearable. I think I chose art as a way of life rather than I chose the instrument, but I feel very happy that I ended up playing the bassoon as my main thing, it might be the form of art that I in a very personal level enjoy the most.

Kristoffer Nyholm Hyldig, a talented musician from Denmark, captivated audiences with his debut concert at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2010. Under the guidance of Professor Niklas Sivelöv and Tove Lønskov, he showcased his remarkable skills and left a lasting impression. Since then, Hyldig has become a prominent figure in the Danish music scene, enthralling listeners as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist at various music societies and festivals.

His musical pursuits have taken him beyond Denmark’s borders, as he has performed in esteemed venues across Europe and even at Carnegie Hall in New York. Collaborating with orchestras led by renowned conductors like Michael Schønwandt, Jean Thorel, and Michael Boder, Hyldig has enchanted audiences with his piano prowess. Notably, his recorded works include the complete songs of Messiaen for soprano and piano, released by Naxos.

Hyldig’s deep appreciation for Messiaen’s compositions has led him to perform intricate piano works such as “Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus” and the magnificent “Turangalîla-Symphonie” with The Royal Danish Orchestra. His interpretations have garnered critical acclaim and solidified his reputation as a masterful pianist.

Recognized for his exceptional talent, Kristoffer Nyholm Hyldig has received numerous accolades throughout his career. Notable among them are the Jury’s Special Prize in the EU piano competition in 2009, the Jakob Gade Scholarship, the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation Scholarship, and the recent Danish Music Critics Reward. Furthermore, Hyldig’s musical contributions extend beyond the concert hall. He has been involved in Zentropa-produced movies, lending his musical expertise both on soundtracks and on-screen appearances. Additionally, his recordings have been featured in plays at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, further showcasing his versatility as an artist.

Michel Camille has been engaged as the Esbjerg Ensemble’s viola player since 1995 and from 1997 – 2001 presided as the Ensemble’s Artistic Director. In 1999 Michel founded the annual Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival and as its Artistic and Administrative Director, has collaborated with Denmark’s most notable composers and invited chamber musicians and soloists from all over the world.

During his education, Michel Camille won numerous awards, the first when he was only 11 years old – a full scholarship to Wells Cathedral School, a specialist music school.

As a pupil of one of England’s elite music schools he received an intense musical education combined with frequent appearances as a soloist as well as an ensemble musician. For Michel’s part, that meant performing with legends such as Yehudi Menuhin, Yfrah Neamen, Norman delMar and Igor Ozim in concert halls in Europe and further afield.

After turning 18, Michel also won awards for solo and chamber music appearances in London as a viola player, including the “Premier Prix” at the Guildhall School of Music, where he studied with Professor David Takeno, and later the “Concerto prize” at Banff Fine Arts.

After a short period playing often as principal with orchestras such as the Academy of St. Martin, LPO, the BBC Symphony, London Musici, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia, Michel decided to entirely devote to chamber music. Since then he has worked for both the classical and the contemporary chamber music scene as a performer on the international stage, as well as an Artistic Director introducing innovative programming, and has brought colourful Art forms as demonstrated by collaborations with dance, puppet theatre & music of our time.