Canadian/Dutch Cellist Willem Stam was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. In 2006 he moved to The Hague where he is currently based. His broad repertoire spans the entire history of the cello and beyond as he continues frequent work with living composers. A versatile and flexible musician, he performs regularly as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor in a large variety of ensembles and settings.

He is the founding cellist of the Netherlands-based Ysaÿe Trio, an ensemble that released its first CD on the Dutch Record Company label in 2013 with a planned second CD release in late 2014. He is also co-founder and artistic committee member of The Hague based New European Ensemble which has performed new music and organized social outreach projects throughout Europe.

“A joy to listen to and also to see! Even as part of the ensemble, Willem Stam was one of the subtle stars of the show”
—Maxazine.nl

Willem studied in Canada with Beth Sandvoss and John Kadz and in the Netherlands with Dmitry Ferschtman, culminitating in the completion of his Master of Music education in 2012. He has played for and worked with many of the worlds leading cellists and pedagogues and brings this background into his own teaching including masterclasses given in Canada, South America, and Europe. Willem teaches at “Music For Life” in Amsterdam and gives regular master classes and lessons to cellists around the world through the internet.

Willem plays on a Stefano Scarampella (Mantova 1918) cello with a Victor Fétique Bow (Paris), made available by the National Instrument Foundation of The Netherlands.