grand piano

In 2020, the Musical Instrument Fund received this grand Bösendorfer from the estate of a private individual. The deceased’s daughter wrote the following about the history behind this beautiful grand piano:

When my mother’s parents passed away and she came into her share of the inheritance, she purchased something of great value for herself for the first (and last) time. In doing so, she made an investment in joy for the rest of her life. To help her make a decision, she and my father visited various piano shops, even taking a trip all the way to Steinway in Hamburg. During that time, she played several instruments, sometimes to the applause of customers who happened to be in the store. She fell in love with the Bösendorfer at first sight, and that love has never faded.
The neighbor, who “only” owned a Kawai, was mortally jealous and urged her to keep the door to the patio closed when she played, because then—in her words—the instrument would “rattle” throughout the neighborhood.
Our Siamese tomcat, with the distinguished name Ferdinand, felt quite differently about this. He had a distinct preference for Chopin and would always jump right onto her lap, where he would purr and bounce up and down on her knees as she operated the pedals. Friends and acquaintances often tried in vain to persuade her to play a piece. It may be that she steadfastly refused because she was too modest, but perhaps more likely because playing was too private for her. She poured her entire soul into the music.
A key factor in her decision to bequeath the Bösendorfer to the Foundation was her awe and admiration for young talent—not only for those she saw on television in programs such as *Young People on the Concert Stage*, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, *Podium Witteman*, but also for those she had met in person. She often spoke enthusiastically about the young soloists who performed with the Drents Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Cecilia Symphony Orchestra (in which she played the violin) to gain stage experience.
She therefore wanted to make her grand piano available to talented musicians who could not easily afford such a magnificent instrument.
When it came to competitions, she always tried to guess who would win and sometimes completely disagreed with the jury’s decision. She detested show-offs, stage hogs, and soulless virtuosos. For her, musicality always took precedence over technical perfection.
None other than Nikola Meeuwsen, who, incidentally, won the 2025 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is currently playing the Viennese grand piano.