This promising duo aims for the performance of original music for mandolin and piano: Works by composers of different periods throughout the history of music such as Scarlatti, Hummel, Beethoven, Calace, Monti and Chailly. Their biggest musical source is the golden era of the mandolin: the Romantic Peroid. Besides this professional duo seeks to inspire contemporary composers to write music for this special combination. Altogether enables Sebastiaan and Eva in giving a perfoming a concertprogramme both rich and versatile.

This trio, consisting of a mandolin, a liuto-cantabile (Ferdinand Binnendijk) and a piano (Eva van den Dool), offers, due to its particular combination, many musical possibilities considering range, color and repertoire.
The piano trio with violin and cello has been a popular combination ever since the classical period with many works written by composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Probably amongst the first to play in the mandolin piano trio as well as composing for this ensemble was the Neapolitan mandolin virtuoso Carlo Munier (1859-1911).
By recently founding the Dutch Mandolin Piano Trio, Eva, Ferdinand and Sebastiaan hope to renew and prolong the tradition of this musical formation by performing original repertoire, adapting a variety of music and having new compositions written in the future. The trio gave their first concert at the plucked-string festival ‘Eurofestival Zupfmusik’ in Bruchsal Germany in May 2018.

The Castalia members are: Sebastiaan de Grebber (mandolin) Pauline Verschuren-Ulderink (mandolin) Ruth Sentamu-Rouw (mandola) Ferdinand Binnedijk (liuto cantabile) Tom Edskes (guitar).

A clear example of appreciation for the work of HET CONSORT was felt during their 2003 Italian tour when the orchestra received the ‘Honorary Award’ by the Comunita Montana ‘Valle del Liri’ (Lazio-Italy). HET CONSORT was presented this honourable Italian distinction for of their many fine concerts performed till then in Europe, their promoting of the Roman ‘Embergher’ mandolin and their world-wide attempt to encourage composers to write compositions for orchestra with this instrument strength. Besides performing original music it is the orchestras’ principal aim to bring the possibilities of the mandolin orchestra under the attention of a broad music loving public. In the past this goal was achieved with interesting concert programmes containing fine arrangements of music composed through the ages as well as original music composed for mandolin orchestra. Contemporary composers who composed for and dedicated their compositions to HET CONSORT are i.e. Annette Kruisbrink (NL); Marc Matthys (BE); Luca Mereu (IT); Victor Kioulaphides (GR/US); John Craton (US) and Jeff Hijlkema (NL). Besides the many concerts in the Netherlands, the orchestra has performed in various other European countries like Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy. In the Summer of 2007 HET CONSORT toured the USA with concerts in New York, Providence and Jamestown (RI).
In the past years the orchestra worked together, either in concerts or in interpretation classes, with i.e. reknown musicians like i.e. Mark and Beverly Davis (USA), Ugo Orlandi (IT), Gertud Weyhofen (DE), Richard Walz (US/FR), Tove Flensborg (DK), Pavel Steidl (CZ), Michael Tröster (DE) and Peter Doberitz (NL).