Mare Keja

Born in Zevenaar, Netherlands, in 2004. Since 2023, she studies at the Reina Sofía School of Music’s Aline Foriel-Destezet Cello Chair with professor Ivan Monighetti. She has been granted a scholarship by Fundación Albéniz.

She started playing cello at the age of 3. She studied in the Netherlands, at the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen and at the Vicent van Gohn Conservatory in Assen. She was part of the class of professors like Alexanda Vierkant, Corine ‘t Hoen and Ivan Monighetti, and has attended masterclasses by Amir Eldan and Michel Strauss.

In her home country, she has performed with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and the Drents Symphony Orchestra at the Nieuwe Kolk Theatre in Assen, the Spiegelzaal in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Oranjewoud Festival.

She won the Haydn Music Festival, the Princess Christina Competition and, in 2020, she was awarded the Dentse Talentprijs Cultuur for her achievements as performer.

Since 2018, she is a member of the Haydn Youth Orchestra, touring around Italy and Bosnia.

She plays an 1830 Scottish cello, loaned by the National Musical Instruments Fund.

As a student of the School, she is currently part of the Dvořák Quartet and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña Ensemble.