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 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 Young Violists’ in Slovenia and enjoys a career as international chamber musician in many ‘historical informed performance’ and ‘contemporary music’ groups.​ 

Since 2023 he is artistic leader of the Groningen Chambermusic 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.