Céleste is a clarinettist whose versatility encompasses a broad range of musical styles. At the Amsterdam Sweelinck Conservatory, she studied with Herman Braune (Bachelor’s Degree, with Distinction) then with George Pieterson (Master’s Degree, with Distinction). After graduating, she became active in many diverse musical fields.
Céleste has been co-principle clarinetist of the ‘philharmonie zuidnederland’ since 2002, while also pursuing her passionate commitment to chamber music. As a member of numerous chamber ensembles, she has performed throughout the Netherlands and around the world. During the past seasons with the ‘Cordaria Ensemble’ (woodwinds and strings), she toured Istanbul and took part in the Robeco Summer Concert series in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
Céleste took first prize in the 2001 well known ‘Vriendenkrans’ Competition (organized by the Concertgebouw and Concertgebouw orchestra), along with numerous other awards, including the Press Award, the Audience Award and the Eduard van Beinum Award. The following year, she won the prestigious Philip Morris Art Prize. She was selected to perform in the ‘Rising Stars’ international concert series for the 2003-2004 season, an extended tour that took her to all the great concert halls of Europe, and marked her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. Composer Robin de Raaff wrote a work especially for her (‘Chalumeau’), which she performed on this tour, and again in July 2005 at a major international clarinet festival in Tokyo.
Several other composers have also written works for her, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. Most recent pieces are ‘Mallard’ for clarinet solo and ‘Arabesque’ for clarinet ans bass clarinet, both by composer Reza Nakisa. She has also worked with many renowned composers, such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Theo Loevendie, Sofia Gubaidulina and others.
Céleste has recorded numerous CDs with her various chamber ensembles.
As a featured soloist, she has made frequent appearances with many orchestras. She also organizes chamber music projects for unusual combinations of instruments.
Since the summer of 2006, she has yearly taken part in the Peter de Grote Festival, giving numerous concerts in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen and having her own ‘summerschool’ (masterclass for students and experienced amateur players).
In march 2008 she became artistic director of the biennial chamber music festival ‘Kamerklanken’ in the South of the Netherlands.
Céleste Zewald is also an active and enthusiastic teacher, dedicated to the education of young musicians. She is a professor at the Utrecht Conservatory and the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen and the ‘Academy for Talented Young Musicians’, also in Urecht.
She frequently gives workshops and masterclasses In Holland and abroad, and often sits on juries for (inter)national competitions. Céleste Zewald is a member of the Board of Council of the National Fund for Musical Instruments. She holds the position of Secretary in the board of the European Clarinet Association and is the National Chair Person for The Netherlands for the International Clarinet Association.