INTERVIEW
When and where was your first concert with the MCO?My first concert with the MCO was in January 2025 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, with Mitsuko Uchida. Everyone connected so deeply with her and with each other, and showed such great musical flexibility. It felt like coming home in a new group.
What’s the best thing about playing with the MCO? The energy and connection. Everyone is on the edge of their seat, open to making contact and sharing their energy and music with each other.
Can you tell us something about your instrument? I play on a golden oldie: a viola made by a British maker called Nathaniel Cross in 1731. Unfortunately, I cannot sing, but somehow the timbre of this viola reflects how I would like to hear myself sing.
A funny detail is the inscription inside, which reads: “Nathaniel Cross, 1731, next to the George Inn in Aldersgate Street, London.” So apparently, the guy’s workshop was right next to the pub on that street.
BIOGRAPHY
Sofie van der Schalie (1989, The Netherlands) is a versatile violist. She is a permanent member of Amsterdam Sinfonietta, a position she greatly enjoys alongside her freelance work with various ensembles and orchestras. In the 2025/2026 season, Sofie is an Associate Member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
With her broad interest in music, Sofie has developed a dynamic concert career. She has been a member of Amsterdam Sinfonietta since 2024 and also works as a freelance musician with, among others, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Sofie is also a passionate chamber musician. She performs with various chamber orchestras, including the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, as well as in smaller ensembles such as her string trio Goldberg.
Sofie studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Marjolein Dispa, Francien Schatborn and Sven Arne Tepl, where she obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She continued her studies with Lawrence Power in Zurich and with Leo de Neve in Antwerp. During her studies, she was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), serving as co-principal and principal viola. She was subsequently admitted to the academy of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
As a soloist, Sofie has performed with the Noord Nederlands Orkest and the Netherlands Youth String Orchestra. She was a prizewinner at the Princess Christina Competition and a finalist in the National Viola Competition. She has participated in masterclasses with, among others, Herman Krebbers, Nobuko Imai, Jürgen Kussmaul and Tatjana Masurenko.
Sofie has extensive experience teaching the viola. From 2014 to 2019, she taught with great enthusiasm at the Music and Dance School Amstelveen, where she built up a viola class of around twenty young violists. She now focuses on giving masterclasses, courses and group coaching to young musicians, including participants of the Malta Youth Orchestra, the European Music Campus Orchestra and the Netherlands Youth String Orchestra.
Since 2020, Sofie has played a beautiful viola by English maker Nathaniel Cross, made in London in 1731, as well as two fine bows by André Chardon (1945–1950) and the Hill firm (1950). She was able to acquire these instruments with the support of Stichting Eigen Muziekinstrument and other funds.
In 2017, Sofie received a study grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, enabling her to study with Lawrence Power at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
When and where was your first concert with the MCO?My first concert with the MCO was in January 2025 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, with Mitsuko Uchida. Everyone connected so deeply with her and with each other, and showed such great musical flexibility. It felt like coming home in a new group.
What’s the best thing about playing with the MCO? The energy and connection. Everyone is on the edge of their seat, open to making contact and sharing their energy and music with each other.
Can you tell us something about your instrument? I play on a golden oldie: a viola made by a British maker called Nathaniel Cross in 1731. Unfortunately, I cannot sing, but somehow the timbre of this viola reflects how I would like to hear myself sing.
A funny detail is the inscription inside, which reads: “Nathaniel Cross, 1731, next to the George Inn in Aldersgate Street, London.” So apparently, the guy’s workshop was right next to the pub on that street.