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This grand piano was donated to the Musical Instrument Fund by a private individual in 2017. When we asked her if she could tell us a little more about the piano’s history, she wrote to us as follows:

The Berger-De Graaf couple—as my parents were known—lived in Utrecht and were very musical. She played the piano, and he (a family doctor) played the violin. Around 1967–68, a loaner grand piano was first brought into the home. It came from Wagenaar, a musical instrument store in Utrecht. But in 1969, a dream came true! Thanks to an inheritance, they had received a sum of money that allowed them to purchase their own grand piano. They chose a Steinway, the “parlor grand” model, which was somewhat smaller than the standard size. This particular piano was the last one of its kind ever built. At the time, the grand piano cost 4,000 guilders—a huge sum back then!

The grand piano arrived, and my mother played it constantly. She and my father regularly hosted living room concerts at our home. There was room for about 35 guests, and it was usually packed. They played as a duo, but sometimes as a quartet. A cellist and a violist also joined them. A little later, my father founded a gypsy orchestra. My mother played piano with them. A cimbalom was also brought into the house. It was played by my father, who, although specializing in the violin, was well-versed in all kinds of music.


My mother attended the conservatory and became a piano teacher. In that capacity, she taught for many years at various music schools, right up until her retirement. At the same time, she regularly gave private lessons at home on the Steinway and also accompanied singers.

As a child, I had a special bond with both the grand piano and the violin. Every night I fell asleep to the sound of my father playing the violin as he practiced in his study, located next to my little bedroom. My mother usually practiced during the day. I had a habit of sitting under the grand piano for as long as she was playing. I don’t know why I did that. As a result, I knew many pieces of music by heart, and according to my mother, I would sing the melodies early in the morning while still in bed.

The grand piano did move with us a number of times. My mother always made sure that only the most experienced movers were allowed to transport her “baby.” My parents separated when I was seven, and so we ended up in a somewhat smaller home in Bilthoven. And the grand piano fit perfectly in the living room there too, thanks to its lovely size!
I went to high school in Bilthoven and, in my freshman year, became friends with fellow music lovers. We weren’t really into classical music (because if your parents like it, you don’t). And although we certainly listened to the popular ’80s music on the radio back then, my friends and I loved jazz. In the era of ska, new wave, Doemaar, and punk, that was pretty unusual for a bunch of freshmen.
So, unhindered by any prior knowledge, we started a band. As it happened, I was in the same class as Michiel Borstlap. And even back then, as we all know now, he could already play a pretty good tune. He came over to our house a few times. Of course, he’d play the grand piano whenever he came over. He was also in that little band named after him. Even back then, his skill level was infinitely higher than ours, but none of that mattered at the time. We were somewhere between twelve and fifteen years old at the time and played songs that were still way beyond our reach, but we had so much fun! Since I didn’t want to take piano lessons from my own mother seriously enough, my role in this band was singing. Now that Michiel is world-famous, it’s still nice to know that his hands have played this grand piano—which, in turn, adds to the history of this beautiful instrument!
Aliya Iskhaki has been playing this instrument, so cherished by the donors, since 2019.