Melissa Venema  Melissa Venema (born April 12, 1995 in Alkmaar) is a Dutch trumpeter. Melissa started playing recorder at age 6 and moved to trumpet by age 8. When she was 10, she auditioned successfully at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, training under Frits Damrow, a world-famous trumpeter. She has since performed in numerous public broadcasts including an internationally-broadcast performance of Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Melissa also plays on her very own custom made Yamaha trumpet, plus four other trumpets as well. Melissa has won several awards over the years, with more recent achievements including taking third place at the Chicago International Brass Festival and several prizes in the Princess Christina Competition. In 2010, she received the Encouragement Prize of Culture of the City Zaanstad. She has also worked with the violinist André Rieu.