Duo Tiaire
Harp and Cello Duo
About us
Duo Tiaire is a cello and harp duo consisting of Tiago Henriques (cello) and Claire Schuurmans (harp). They started playing together in November 2022, and are very enthusiastic about sharing music with others.
They have worked with renowned musicians including Michel Strauss, Ernestine Stoop, Jan-Ype Nota, Sylvain Blassel, Roger Regter, and Philippe Hersant. In April 2023, they organised an interdisciplinary performance inspired by José Saramago’s novel Blindness.
Duo Tiaire has received recognition at several competitions, winning second prize in the Ensemble Category at the Rosa Spier Harp Competition and at the Prinses Christina Competition, they received first prize in the Rotterdam Regional Final and second prize in the National Final.
On 30 March, they appeared on Podium Klassiek as Jonge Helden, and they have also performed at festivals including the Grachtenfestival and Muziekzomer Gelderland.
Claire Schuurmans (2004) began playing the harp at the age of five with lessons from Jaike Bakker. Her musical development progressed further when she joined the School for Young Talent in 2017, where she studied with Ernestine Stoop. In 2021, she continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where, in addition to her regular lessons with Ernestine Stoop, she has been receiving instruction from harpist Sylvain Blassel since her third year of the bachelor’s program. Claire finished her Bachelor in June 2025 with a 10. Since September of the same year she started her master at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where she is having lessons with Agnès Clément and Anouk Sturtewagen.
In addition to her studies, Claire is actively involved in ensemble and orchestral playing. She was a member of the Hofstads Jeugdorkest for ten years and played for two years in the Jeugdorkest Nederland. Claire has gained experience as a substitute player in both amateur and professional orchestras, including the Practicum Musicae Orkest, the Symphony Orkest Rijnmond, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, and the Residentie Orkest. She has also performed as a soloist with various orchestras, such as the Haagse Beek Strijkorkest, Leiderdorps Kamerorkest, Harmonieorkest Orveo, and Sinfonia Rotterdam.
Claire has received several prizes in competitions. She won the first prize in the Rosa Spier Harp Concours in 2018 and 2020. Claire is also a laureate of the Prinses Christina Concours, where she won the first prize in 2017 and the second prize in the regional final in Rotterdam in 2023.
In 2020, Claire performed at the online edition of the World Harp Congress as part of the ‘Focus on Youth’ program.
Claire has had masterclasses with several harpists including Sivan Magen, Edward Witsenburg, Mathilde Wauters, Miriam Overlach, Agnès Clément, Sarah Verrue and Päivi Severeide.
Tiago Henriques began studying the cello at the age of nine at the Academia de Música de Óbidos under the guidance of Tiago Vila. In 2018, he joined the Escola Profissional Metropolitana in Lisbon, where he studied with Ana Cláudia Serrão. Since 2021, he has been studying at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, where he is currently pursuing his Master’s degree with Michel Strauss and Jan-Ype Nota.
He has participated in numerous masterclasses with musicians, such as, Catherine Strynckx, Luis Sá Pessoa, Kyril Zlotnikov, Filipe Quaresma, Jed Barahal, Paulo Gaio Lima, Maria de Macedo, Thomas Carroll, Harro Ruijsenaars, Petr Prause, Patrick Jüdt, Denis Prosaev, Peter Brunt, and members of the Cuarteto Casals. He has also received guidance from Roger Regter, Ernestine Stoop, Sylvain Blassel, Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir, and Janet Krause.
Tiago has extensive orchestral experience, having performed with the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Orquestra Académica Filarmónica Portuguesa, and the Nationaal Jeugdorkest. These experiences have given him the opportunity to work with conductors including José Eduardo Poças Gomes, Henri Christofer Aavik, Ivan Meylemans, Leonard Evers, Kjell Seim, and Antony Hermus.
He has also taken part in projects such as performing Enescu’s Octet with Lisa Jacobs, Lech Uszynski, and Johannes Krebs.
In 2019, Tiago received an Honourable Mention at the Fundão International Competition. In 2021, he won first prize at the Amac Vecchi-Costa Competition, which led to his first solo performance outside the academic setting.
Beyond performance, Tiago is passionate about music education. He completed a minor in education under the guidance of Wiesje van Eersel, conducting research titled Exploring Teenagers’ Musical Potential. He is also interested in contemporary music and has studied the history of contemporary composition as part of his artistic development.
Since May 2024, Tiago has been playing a cello on loan from the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds (NMF). He plays with a bow made possible through the support of the SEM Foundation.
Upcoming Concerts
13th November
Destin Muziekreizen
21st November
Kunst in de Kamer
Prinses Christina Concours
2024
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