The Lark Ascending: Music to transport you to an English garden
Saturday’s concert, given by the Stift Music Festival on the 27th August in the idyllic setting of Hooge Boekel, a Dutch country house just outside Enschede, was the perfect backdrop…
Stift Music Festival: quite simply a jewel in the crown
Held over nine days, with 28 concerts featuring over 40 talented and distinguished musicians, the Stift Music Festival here in the East Netherlands really has something for everyone. Founded in…
Makela’s Concertgebouw Mahler marks the dawn of a new era in Amsterdam
Friday night’s concert in Amsterdam, the first of a series of concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (KCO) and their new Artistic Partner, Klaus Mäkelä conducting Mahler 6, was the hottest…
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – most definitely an author for our time
The raw and sometimes harrowing world of contemporary Nigeria is brought to life with astounding precision and clarity. Like so many I am sure, I tend to have phases in…
Excellent Customer Service Really Is Worth Its Weight In Gold, Or In This Case, Whisky and Wine
Slijterij Berendsen, the family-run alcoholic beverage store in Enschede, puts excellent customer service at the heart of its business Food and Drink Heroes of Enschede #3 Nestled in the edge of Roombeek,…
Redefining the World of Classical Music Competitions
Friday night’s concert at De Doelen, Rotterdam was the culmination of two weeks of frenetic music-making here in the Netherlands, and the highlight of this inaugural International Conducting Competition, Rotterdam.…
A Striking If Perplexing Midsummer Night’s Dream!
As a Suffolk girl, growing up just six miles from Benjamin Britten’s place of birth, the music from this most English of composers runs deep through my veins. Whilst preparing…
The Day Miro Petkov And Dominic Seldis Came To Town
We are told that sometimes, the best things come to he who waits, however, over the past couple of years it seems there has been rather too much waiting. It…
A Drenching In The Storm
As I sit here in the glorious sun, I think back to yesterday, and as one friend put it, the biblical rains which descended on this little part of the Netherlands.…
A Candle Burning Brightly In The World of Music Education
The International Piano Competition in Enschede, May 2021, brings together young pianists from all over the world in pursuit of that illusive first prize.