Eva Petrarca was born in 1987 in Uithoorn, The Netherlands. She started playing the violin when she was seven years old. In 1998 she was accepted onto the Young Talent class of the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.
In 2005 her violin duo won a prize in the National Finals of the ‘Prinses Christina’ Competition in The Netherlands and was given the opportunity to play Prokofiev’s Double Sonata in Carnegie Hall, New York and for Dutch national radio.
Eva undertook her bachelor’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague where she studied with Mieke Biesta. Following this, she completed a minor degree/specialisation in Music Education. Whilst here, she played in masterclasses with Jaap van Zweden and Philippe Graffin.
Eva then moved to London where she took a master’s degree in Performance at the Royal College of Music (RCM). She learned with Jan Repko in the first year and Daniel Rowland in the second year of her studies. Having a degree in Music Education, Eva also works as a violin teacher and workshop assistant for RCM Sparks and BBC Family Orchestra.
As a chamber musician she recently performed the music of Brahms with a horn trio as well as regular recitals with her string quartet. Mixing classical repertoire with jazz and pop songs, this quartet performs in concert venues and in more modern settings, such as James Bond premieres.
Royal College of Music
London, UK
Royal Conservatoire of The Hague
The Hague, Netherlands
What is your earliest musical memory?
My parents, brother, sister and I used to sing a lot at home. And when someone would start plucking an instrument (we had a piano, violin, recorder, flute and guitar) and play one of the songs everyone would grab whatever instrument they could find to join in. These family ‘jam sessions’ were always so much fun!
If you could play another instrument, what would it be?
I love the sound of the french horn. I don’t think I would be able to pull it off though. I’m afraid I show all the symptoms of being a violinist.