A couple of months ago someone tipped me about a competition in which you could win a performance on the main stage at the Hofvijver in The Hague, with an audience of 1200 people. I hesitated, but finally enrolled in this competition.

After having waited in anticipation, I received the results of the competiton: I won! I’m selected to play at Festival Classique and furthermore I’ll be interviewed by Radio 4 (the classical radio station in the Netherlands). This broadcast will also feature a live performance.

The fact that I’ll be playing at this festival isn’t all that remarkable. It is however very special that a serious festival of classical music is featuring the Theremin as a proper concert instrument on a major stage. This alone is very satisfying to me, because in my opninion the Theremin should be promoted as a concert instrument as much as possible. This of course is a very good start!

The pieces I’ll be performing with my pianist Thijn Vermeulen:

• Nocturne - Thierry Besançon
• Ne Poy Krasavitsa - Rachmaninoff
• Hebrew Melody - Achron

Another special aspect of this concert (besides me and Thijn playing there) is the American piano quintet ‘The Five Browns’ that will play after us. This ensemble consists of 5 brothers and sisters, all from one family, who’ve all studied at the famous Juliard Conservatory in New York.

It looks like this will be an exciting and special concert. I’m really looking forward to it!