M8 OCTET WINS THE PUBLIEKPRIJS AT THE FINAL CONCERT IN ODEON 

 On May 13, 2025, the final round of the ArtEZ Chamber Music Sessions, arranged by ArtEZ Conservatorium, took place in Schouwburg Odeon. Every year, ArtEZ hosts this weekly concert series called Chamber Music Sessions, culminating in a final concert featuring the six best performing ensembles. 

The group started at the end of 2024 as a project for Tristán Savoye’s bachelor’s exam. The octet is formed by the violinists Tristán Savoye, Eider Armendariz, Laura Torres and Elena Contreras; violists Miquel Pla and Adrián Abad; and cellists Aymara Gosen and myself, Clara Sánchez. We performed an octet by Felix Mendelssohn, which also inspired the name of our group: M8 Octet. 

I remember our participation last week with great emotion. It was only the second time we performed this piece in front of an audience; the first was just the day before, on May 12, during Tristán’s final exam. It was great to see people’s reaction, they really seemed to enjoyed it. Some friends who could not attend the exam came to hear us at Odeon, which made the experience even more special. 

A total of six ensembles performed in the final concert, and we had the opportunity to listen to the great work that our colleagues did during this year. We were very happy with the outcome: we received the Publiekprijs!. As a prize, we received a professional recording, and on top of that, we were offered some concerts for the upcoming season. We are really looking forward to what comes next!