Luke Aaron Mayer is the director and founder of Muziekacademie Amsterdam.
Originally from Austria, Luke has spent over two decades as a guitarist and educator, gaining experience all around the world.
Luke's musical journey began with a passion for blues and rock guitar. However, he later pursued formal classical guitar studies at the Mozarteum University for Music, Fine Arts, and Drama in Salzburg, where he earned a Master of Arts in Classical Guitar Performance in 2008.
After graduating he moved to California, where he taught classical guitar at the Berkeley Academy of Music and shared his musical knowledge with students at the Zambaleta World Music School in San Francisco. During his stay in California, Luke was highly active as a performer, mainly within the San Francisco Bay Area.
Searching for new challenges and experiences Luke left the United States in 2010 to teach the guitar class of the Eduard Zaid Conservatory of Music in Jerusalem, where he taught for nearly 2 years. During this time, Luke also toured the Middle East and North Africa with the late Palestinian singer Rim Banna.
From Jerusalem, Luke's journey continued to Dubai, where he expanded his teaching experience, offering guidance in both classical and electric guitar, as well as band coaching at the Centre for Musical Arts Dubai from 2012 to 2016. In addition to teaching, he established a chamber music concert series named Thursday Night Classics.
In 2016, Luke made Amsterdam his home and founded the Gitaaracademie L. A. Mayer, which subsequently evolved into Muziekacademie Amsterdam.
With Luke’s extensive experience in teaching both children and adults, and his in-depth knowledge of different musical genres and numerous guitar techniques, you or your child are guaranteed an exciting and unique learning experience.
Giacomo Camilletti, an Italian drummer born in Rome in 1997, embarked on his musical journey from a young age. Initially drawn to classical percussion and piano, he dedicated himself to the study of classical music until the age of 16.
However, his passion soon shifted towards jazz, prompting him to relocate to the Netherlands to pursue his academic studies at the renowned Conservatorium van Amsterdam. During his time in Amsterdam, Giacomo immersed himself in the world of improvised music and actively engaged with the vibrant jazz scene of the city.
Throughout the years, he has traversed Europe, recording, traveling, and performing with various bands and ensembles. This journey has allowed him to refine his energetic and compelling drumming style while expanding his command of modern drumming techniques.
With his rich musical background and a thoughtful approach to music, Giacomo is eager to share his knowledge and teach students of all ages and skill levels.
Sebastiaan Scheurleer, a guitarist based in Amsterdam, graduated from the jazz department of the prestigious Conservatorium van Amsterdam, earning his master's degree in 2015. His profound passion for and extensive experience with diverse musical styles, including jazz, blues, soul, funk, rock, pop, and reggae, combined with valuable lessons from accomplished musicians, have molded him into an exceptionally versatile and skilled guitarist known for his expressive and soulful sound.
Sebastiaan's guitar skills have graced the stages of numerous concert halls and radio/television shows throughout Europe, including notable venues like the North Sea Jazz Festival, Paradiso, The Concertgebouw, and Pauw&Witteman. He has shared the stage with esteemed artists such as Yuri Honing, Saskia Laroo, and Karsu Donmez, among others.
Sebastiaan embarked on his teaching journey in 2009 while still a student and has since found great joy in teaching individuals of various ages and musical backgrounds. His commitment to passing on the art of guitar playing and his infectious enthusiasm for music have grown into genuine passions from which he derives immense satisfaction. During lessons, he prioritizes guiding his students toward playing their favorite music while offering robust support in overcoming technical challenges.
Nicolo' Ricci is a saxophonist from Milan, Italy, based in Amsterdam since 2015. He is a steady member of active bands of the Dutch jazz scene such as the Sun-Mi Hong 5tet, Pietre and the Joe Goes Hunting Orchestra. With them and as a soloist he performs regularly in some of the main venues dedicated to improvised music within and outside the Netherlands.
He graduated with full marks from the Conservatorio G.Verdi of Milan and concluded his studies with a master program at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In 2015 he got the first prize as best soloist at the Vittoria Rotary Awards, assigned by a jury led by Francesco Cafiso.
In 2019 he was selected by MIDJ (Italian Association for Jazz Musicians) and SIAE as Italian excellence for an artistic residency with destination Amman, Jordan.
His band Ambergris was one of the winners of the Keep an Eye The Records 2021 and just released their second album, Bellissimə (Zennez Records).
During his career he has performed with Steve Swallow, Adam Nussbaum, Jesper Bodilsen, Gerald Cannon, David Binney, Paolino Dalla Porta, Antonio Zambrini, Roberto Gatto, Giovanni Falzone, Roberto Cecchetto, Fausto Beccalossi, Greg Burk, Reinier Baas, Mark Schilders, Ben van Gelder, Bo van der Werf, Clemens van der Feen, Stefan Lievestro. Nicolo' is a founding member of Honolulu Records, an Italian independent label based in Milan.
Nicoló has extensive experience teaching both children and adults and is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge and passion with you or your child!
Maarten Cima is a very active member of the music scene in the Netherlands. After graduating from the Conservatorium van Maastricht he moved to Amsterdam where he continued his studies at the Jazz department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
With a background in Blues/Rock and his education in Jazz Maarten is an expert in various styles. As guitarist he feels home in every genre. Among others he has participated in the soul band Anna Nite & the Shakers; Rock and Vandale and different cover bands.
Maarten toured Germany with a big band, subbed at the theater show of Sjors van der Panne and was the guitarist of Holland Opera's production The Lion King NL.
At the moment Maarten is active as teacher, guitarist, composer and is guitarist of Anna Nita and the band Floatmonki from Amsterdam. Also, he is the guitarist of the musical 'Soldaat van Oranje'. In the past years he toured theaters throughout the Netherlands with the theater production "The magic of Jeans: heartbeat'.
From Blues to Classical, from country to Jazz, due to Maarten's vast experience as guitarist he can teach you or your child any style and tailor your lesson exactly to your needs!
Phone and whatsapp:
+31 (6) 24 22 37 02
Stichting Muziekacademie Amsterdam
Schaepmanstraat 228
1051JJ Amsterdam
KVK number: 88419851