Manuel Visser is a Dutch-born conductor and violist based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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He grew up in a family of professional musicians, with a flutist as father and harpist as mother.

​In his early youth Manuel started playing the piano and violin and later the viola.​

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He studied viola at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with principal violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Michael Gieler and later with violist and conductor Jürgen Kussmaul who became a big musical influence.

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Other major influences that contributed to his early musical taste and visions are the encounters and lessons by cellist Anner Bijlsma, bassclarinettist and conductor Harry Sparnaay and conductor Frans Brüggen.

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After his Master Degree in Amsterdam he studied ‘Postgraduate’ at the ‘Mozarteum’ in Salzburg with Prof. Peter Langgartner and in Paris with Garth Knox to specialise also in contemporary music.

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Manuel was prizewinner at several competitions like the International Competition for Viola in Slovenia and enjoys a career as international chamber musician in many ‘historical informed performance’ and ‘contemporary music’ groups. He performs chamber music with musicians like Alena Baeva, Barnabás Kelemen and Pieter Wispelwey.

Since 2023 he is artistic leader of the Groningen Chamber Music Festival.

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After some years of working internationally as a professionally violist, Manuel developed an increasing interest in orchestral conducting and decided to study orchestral conducting with Lucas Vis and Ed Spanjaard at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam.

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He actively participated in conductingmasterclasses by a.o. Jorma Panula, Charles Olivieri-Munroe with orchestras like the Philharmonie Südwestfalen, the Kammerphilharmonie Graz and the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.  

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In the past years he conducted several educational projects with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and was assistant-conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg. He assisted conductor Jan Willem de Vriend in several projects and is the conductor of the 'side by side'-projectorchestra of the Utrecht based Academy for Musical Talent.

Since 2024 he is artistic leader and conductor of Ensemble Creamo a flexible group of creative musicians of the highest level based in Amsterdam.