I work in the office at the Netherlands Musical Instrument Foundation two days a week. I prepare invoices for musicians, process invoices from instrument makers, and answer questions from musicians about the financial aspects of the loan. I collaborate with all my colleagues, from collection management to marketing, on the financial aspects of all our activities.
‘In music, I tell storiesbuilt on contrasting emotions’
The rest of the week I work as a composer. My great passion is chamber music. My first and second string quartets were released on an album, which you can listen to on Spotify and other platforms. I also write vocal music. In music, I tell stories built on contrasting emotions. I find collaborating with good musicians on a composition very inspiring, as I recently did with the Zenith Trio, consisting of two saxophones and a piano.
When, after several detours, I finally started working full-time as a composer, I realized that was what I was meant to do in this life. I did miss collaborating with colleagues, though. That's why it feels valuable to work within the warm and friendly team of the foundation, in a modest role, using the experience I gained in music, mathematics, computer science, and entrepreneurship for musicians who need a good instrument.
My favourite instrument
My favorite instrument from the collection? The Pleyel fortepiano! A grand piano built in Paris in 1843, which the foundation purchased in 2024 and had restored. On his good days, Chopin preferred a similar Pleyel. On other days, he chose an instrument by another Parisian builder, Erard, known for its ease of play, whereas for Pleyel, it was really all about the sound.
The instrument is ‘parallel-strung’, unlike modern grand pianos with cross-strung strings. Those are sturdier and more resonant. But this Pleyel has a singing quality and vulnerability that moves me deeply. Chopin’s melodies suddenly become even more personal!
All the original parts are still in place, which makes this piano very special. Piano technician Bart Houtgraaf spoke passionately about how all parts were restored individually: even the lacquer on the soundboard and the leather on the hammer heads. A restoration that does result into a mere museum object, but into a playable instrument, allowing this sound from the 1840s to still be heard.
check out the piano