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This Steinway B grand piano was bequeathed to the Musical Instrument Fund by Hans Keijzer, a passionate amateur jazz musician.

Hans Keijzer grew up in a musical family. His father was an amateur jazz pianist. His sister Charlotte recalls: “Hans started taking piano lessons at a young age. There was a schedule posted on the piano where we divided up our practice time. Hans soon developed a love for jazz and improvisation. Over time, he chose the clarinet over the piano, and later the saxophone as well. During his college years, he joined the band ‘Houdt het Oudt,’ with which he continued to play for the rest of his life. For rehearsals, he would happily drive from his home in Maastricht to The Hague and back in the middle of the night.”
He never stopped playing the piano: just sitting down at the piano and improvising on the songs he knew so well from home. He dreamed of buying himself a beautiful grand piano. But so much money… when he had so little time… In 2005, he made his dream come true and traveled to Hamburg to personally select a grand piano at Steinway. His wife Henriëtte and sister Charlotte went along. Charlotte: “It was a highlight. An impressive hall with dozens of grand pianos lined up, their lids raised like stately birds. Three B-211 grand pianos had been set out for us. Hans and I were allowed to try them out, and we listened up close, from a distance—the high register, the beautiful deep bass, the warm middle register. What a treasure! Slowly, one of the three grand pianos emerged as a sort of favorite.”
The grand piano greatly inspired Hans to play more. He took lessons from Jeroen Riemsdijk, a professor at the Maastricht Conservatory, and started over from scratch, technically speaking. Henriëtte: “When Hans went downstairs on Sunday mornings to prepare breakfast and I came down a little while later, he was sitting at the piano. Breakfast? Oh, I haven’t started on it yet…”
There were regular living-room concerts; the grand piano was the shining centerpiece at parties and gatherings, and whenever conservatory students couldn’t find a place to study, they were welcome there.
In 2012, Hans fell ill. His optimism wasn’t enough to save him. He passed away in December 2013. The grand piano stood on the stage at his funeral and was played by his teacher Jeroen and the pianist from “Houdt het Oudt.”

Hans bequeathed the grand piano to the Musical Instrument Fund. Kasper Schonewille, a student at the Maastricht Conservatory, was the first to receive it on loan. After Kasper graduated cum laude and moved abroad, the Music Instrument Fund found a new worthy home for the piano at the Muziekhaven in Zaandam, the chamber music center housed in the historic clandestine church. In 2021, the grand piano was refurbished, ensuring it can continue to be used at the highest level. His wife Henriëtte said, “Such excellent care and, literally, such a beautiful venue in Zaandam. Hans would have been immensely proud.”