The 2008 Prinses Christina Concours Concert Tour

May 29, 2008

In the afternoon of May 4, my wife Yvonne and I were in Vancouver to say once again Au Revoir to a wonderful group of young people, this time Timo Tromp, Andrea Vasi, Nora van der Stelt and Kate Sebring. We had accompanied them in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, BC.

The Netherland–America Foundation

Southern California Chapter

The 2008 Concert Tour

Top photo: from left, Kate, Andrea, Timo and Nora in Vancouver

Bottom photo: Dick van Hoepen thanking, from left, Kate, Nora, Andrea and Timo for their wonderful concert at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica

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In the afternoon of May 4, my wife Yvonne and I were in Vancouver to say once again ‘Au Revoir’ to a wonderful group of young people, this time Timo Tromp, Andrea Vasi, Nora van der Stelt and Kate Sebring. We had accompanied them in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, BC.

The ‘Prinses Christina Concours’ in the Netherlands has done another great job in selecting these four youngsters and the program they presented. A total of close to 600 people attended the four concerts and each one ended with a standing ovation of several minutes. What a pleasure for us to present these concerts in conjunction with the Embassy in Washington, DC, the Consulates General in Los Angeles and Vancouver and the Honorary Consul in San Francisco to such a large appreciative audience. It certainly meets the mission of our Foundation which is to share with Americans of Dutch descent and other Americans Dutch culture of a very exceptional and high value.

Andrea, piano, started the concerts with Beethoven’s ‘Der Sturm’. At her young age she is already an accomplished pianist showing a high degree of maturity. Timo, winner of this year’s ‘Prinses Christina Concours’ competition, treated the audiences to some exceptional clarinet playing with works by Messager and Debussy, accompanied by Kate on the piano. It was not only his playing, but also the highly controlled performance that was very impressive and it is clear a great future is ahead of him. After the intermezzo, Kate played, beautifully, music by Ligeti, Rachmaninov and Liapunov. Kate is a very quiet person, but when she plays the piano she comes alive and shows what a dedicated and talented pianist she is. We will certainly hear more about her in future. She was followed by Nora, who dazzled the audiences with her violin virtuoso play with pieces by Mozart, de Sarasate, Rachmaninov and Wieniaski. She was accompanied on the piano by Andrea, who showed us why she was twice declared best accompanist at the national ‘Prinses Christina Concours’ competitions. Nora and Andrea, who have been playing together for approx. three years, form a great duo and hopefully will continue to perform together. 

The first concert, followed by a reception, was held on April 23 at the residence of Ambassador Kröner and Mrs. Kröner. Approx. 70 specially invited guests were in attendance and enjoyed the evening in their beautiful home.

 A record of more than 200 people attended Los Angeles’ concert and reception in the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on Monday, April 28. The four young musicians gave a raving performance to a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience. Unfortunately the consul general, the Honorable Madelien de Planque could not be with us, but she was well represented by her husband Jim Humphreys and deputy general consul Hans van den Dool and his wife Jette.

130 people attended the concert in Francisco on Thursday, May 1 in the beautiful St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. The concert and reception were again organized and offered to the American/Dutch community by Doug and Barbara Engmann. Thanks Doug and Barbara for also hosting the musicians in your beautiful home and making their visit to San Francisco unforgettable with all you did and organized for them. A treat all 15 of them have enjoyed in the four years we have been coming to you.

The concert on Saturday, May 3 in Vancouver, BC was attended by over 150 people and offered and organized by the consul general, the Honorable Hans Driesser and his staff. It was held again in the magnificent St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church. During this last concert the musicians played their hearts out in appreciation of all they experienced on this tour and received another standing ovation. During the intermezzo coffee and tea were served with cookies. Thanks Hans, Vincent and Maarten for 3 wonderful days and being such outstanding hosts.

All in all another great tour not only for the performances but also for the sightseeing and social contacts in these exiting four cities. In between the concerts and rehearsals they found still time, don’t ask me how, to see the great sights and although the four youngsters were very tired after this short and intensive tour, they were extremely satisfied and thankful for the opportunity offered to them. Timo expressed the feelings of all four when he said at our farewell: “This was one of the best times we ever had, thank you very much”.

It is not hard to understand that Yvonne and I are very grateful to be able to organize a tour like this for such wonderful youngsters. We want to thank all of you who had them stay in your homes or helped us otherwise with the organization in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, BC.

On behalf of the Netherland-America Foundation I want to thank once again the Embassy in Washington, DC, the Consulates General in Los Angels and Vancouver and the Honorary Consul in San Francisco for their financial and other support of this tour. Our thanks also go to Northwest/KLM Airlines for their generous support and to all of you who supported the events by attending and/or making a donation.

 We hope to be in a position to have a concert tour again next year.

 Dick van Hoepen