Kamermuziek tapas stijl

huisconcert

Chamber Music
Tapas Style

Monument House Concert Series

Saturday 9 June 2007

2 pm for 2:30 pm concert to last till 9 pm

Chamber music served tapas style where variety is the spice of life
Prima vista duets, trios, & other during intermissions

10 euros for exotic tapas and sangria
Reservations by e-mail

PRESS tickets available for editorial coverage and interviews.
Please enquire for collaboration and sponsorship opportunities.

Previous concerts at the Monument House

Monument House Concert Series

About Monument House Concert Series:
The recently renovated monument house at Keulsekade 25, Utrecht, near "Utrecht Centraal" station, was built by the Dutch National Water Board for its employees in 1903. With a breathtaking view of the peaceful canal between Lombok and Oog in Al, the three-storey house offers a restored Steinway Grand Piano (188 cm, model A New York 1909) and excellent acoustics with its high ceilings and centrally-heated oak floors, as demonstrated by a guitar violin duo house concert, guitar masterclass, piano as orchestra house concert, and a showcase of violin, viola, cello, harp, piano, and voice in Summer 2006. Since then, numerous musicians from the Netherlands and abroad have enquired about performing and recording here.

Collaborators and sponsors are actively sought for future concerts. This is a nonsmoking venue. with front and back gardens and free canal-side parking under the shade of the 100-year old linden trees.

How to get here: by foot, bicycle, bus, car, or train .... RICHTING INSTRUCTIES NAAR MONUMENT HUIS.

Programme (2 page pdf) in Four Parts with breaks for tapas and sangria

Pearlmira Kwesi-John (soprano) and Katia Braunschweiler (piano)

  • Wolfgang A. Mozart  (1756 – 1791) “Parto, parto” from La Clemenza di Tito

    Charles Gounod  (1818 – 1893)  “Faites-lui mes aveux” from Faust

    Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) La Courte Paille

                  Le sommeil
                  Quelle Avonture
                  La reine de cœur

    Richard Strauss  (1864 -1949) Ach Lieb, ich muss nun scheiden

    Felix Mendelssohn    (1809 –1847) Auf Flügeln des Gesanges

    Francisco Ernani Braga (1868 –1945) Cinco Cancoes Nordestinas do Folclore Brasileiro

                  O’ Kinimba
                  Capim di pranta
                  Nigue nigue ninhas
                  Enghenovo, Enghenovo

Katia Braunschweiler (piano):

    • Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata K. 141

      Ludwig van Beethoven : Sonata op. 31 n. 3

      Maurice Ravel: Jeux d'eau

Anna Schweizer (cello) with Henk Alkema (piano)

    • Cello concerto (cello and piano) by Edoard Lalo

      Polonaise by David Popper

      Cello suite no. 5 (solo) by JS Bach

Duo Pan (tenor) with Carol Ruiz Gandia (piano)

    • Dichters Liebe by Schumann (tenor & piano)

      Tchaikovsky songs

      Chinese song: Under the Silver Moon

Carol Ruiz Gandia (piano)

    • Preludes by Mompou

Allard (cello)

  • Cello Suite no. 3 by JS Bach

Hidesato Sugiyama (voice recorder), Yorgos Pavlakos (alto recorder), Rafael Núñez Velázquez (Baroque violin), Robert Bekkers (guitar)

    • Echoes from the Past --- 7 interludes for 2 recorders and Baroque violin by Anne Ku

      Fantasia para Gentilhombre by Rodrigo arranged for recorders and guitar by Robert Bekkers

Guest performers (not featured on this website):

Imre Rolleman (flute) of Aria Balsalmica Cafe 1930 and other pieces by Piazzolla --- with Robert Bekkers

Erik Tempelman (guitar) - solo pieces, and duet with Robert Bekkers

Bouke Feleus (accordion) - solo pieces

Front of monument house in Utrecht

Reception of monument house in Utrecht

Piano room in monument house in Utrecht

Back garden of monument house in utrecht

Tapas and Sangria

made by Robert and Elea Bekkers;
Emily and Paulus of Innerfireworks.com

  • Devilled eggs
  • Fresh witlof with anchovies
  • Spanish spicy meatballs in tomato sauce
  • Stuffed tomatoes with cod and cheese
  • Fried sardines
  • Deep fried battered anchovies
  • Deep fried battered aubergine slices - tempura style
  • Cold tomato gazpacho soup
  • Tambouli (couscous salad with tomato, olives, etc)
  • Chicken wings marinated in onion and coriander
  • Spicy chicken drumsticks
  • Spanish tortillas: natural, with basil, with coriander, with onion
  • Deep fried cod nuggets in coriander, salt, and black pepper
  • Banana bread
  • Nutmeg cake (hot nutmeg sauce)
  • Sangria - red wine with apples, peaches, oranges, cherries
  • Heineken beer on tap
  • Iced water with lemon slices and fresh mint from the garden
Henk Alkema

Henk Alkema studied at the Hague Royal Conservatory of Music. Henk's academic appointments include professor of composition and acting dean at Utrecht Conservatory, Music Pedagogical Academy in Leeuwarden, Berklee College of Music, and the University of Montana. He has conducted nearly all professional symphony orchestras in The Netherlands and has earlier toured as a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and studio pianist for Dutch Radio and TV. He played his recent commissioned euphonium concerto at the "Piano as Orchestra" monument house concert in December 2007. 

Related Links:

Five years ago, after a trip to Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla, the idea of a Spanish Summer Soiree was born. On a hot day in London, friends of Anne Ku and Robert Bekkers gathered outdoors to listen to Bekkers' arrangement of the famous Guitar Concerto Aranjuez by Rodrigo. At sunset, the audience went indoors for a concert with piano.

News @ 6 June 2007 Live webcast of Duo46 at Kennedy Centre
Duo46 were the first to perform in the Monument House Concert Series

Robert Bekkers

A graduate of the Conservatory of Maastricht, Robert Bekkers also studied contemporary music with Angelo Gilardino in Italy. While accompanying flamenco dance classes, Bekkers formed the group "IMPETU" consisting of 9 musicians and dancers, mixing flamenco and classical music. He has toured with Serenata Mexicana, Amstel Guitar Quartet, and Berdien Stenberg Orchestra. Since 2001, he and pianist Anne Ku have taken their Piano Guitar Duo to London, North Cyprus, Cape Town, Italy, and throughout the Netherlands. Bekkers plays a 2005 Jeroen Hilhorst concert guitar, custom-made for the duo. His performance engagements are listed on his website at http://www.dutchguitar.com

Saturday 9 June 2007 is also Open Day of the MUNT National Mint monument house nearby. It's the only day in the year that this beautiful building is open to the public. [Walking distance from the Utrecht Centraal Station]

This house concert was listed on the agendas and concert listings of Piano Guitar Duo of Anne Ku and Robert Bekkers, PianoConcerten.nl, Lombox.nl, and Utrecht Conservatory.

Katia Braunschweiler French-speaking Katia Braunschweiler started taking piano lessons at age 7 and entered the Conservatory of Geneva two years later, studying under Susanna Sierro-Riggoli and Edith Murano. At age 12, she began violin lessons with Professor Patrick Leyvraz. In 2005, Katia received her Bachelor of Music with honours in piano from Utrecht Conservatory and the Master in solo performance a year later. She has performed in masterclasses with Gyorgy Sandor, Jeremy Menuhin, Maria Jao Pires, Alexis Golovine, Sylviane Deferne, Igor Blagodatov, Jeanette de Boer, and Menahem Pressler.In 2006, she played Mozart piano concerto K414 with orchestra at the Festival of Chateau d’Oex in Switzerland. She has given solo concerts in France, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, and Belgium. Her forthcoming concerts include those with violinist Robert Zimansky, professor at Zurich Conservatory.

Monument House Concert Series was founded in June 2006, out of the desire of Robert Bekkers and Anne Ku to share their private space and musicians network with others.

"Chamber Music Tapas Style" promises to be THE house concert with most amount of music throughout the day. It is not necessary to arrive at exactly 14:00 and leave at 21:00 sharp. Come and sample the tapas of music!

Allard Hartkamp

Allard Hartkamp started playing the cello when he turned eight. At age sixteen he went to study in the Utrecht Conservatory preparatory class, with Lenian Benjamins and Jeroen den Herder. He followed den Herder to finish his final years at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.

Feedback from some of the nearly 50 people came:

Thanks for having invited us over to your beautiful house and for introducing us to the wonderful world of classical music and to the talented musicans. It helps to broaden my horizon to listen to the music I was unfamiliar with before today. A very inspiring day. Thank you!

Marga, Utrecht

Pearlmira Kwesi-John Mezzo soprano Pearlmira Kwesi-John was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She sang in the local church choir and later took classical singing lessons from the late Lodgie Wright. After finishing her studies at Utrecht Conservatory in June 2007, she plans to move to London. Pearl was the lead singer in the Jetsetter chamber opera of Anne Ku in 2006.

I have enjoyed the house concert. Unfortunately, I had to go at five o'clock, because I had another appointment at six o'clock in Amsterdam! Nevertheless, the time that I was there, I have listened with much pleasure. I was especially impressed of the splendid voice of the mezzo-soprano Pearlmira Kwesi-John. The tapas saw deliciously. Next time I hope to taste it.

Bert, Hoofddorp

Anne Ku

Born in Brunei of Chinese parents, Anne Ku studied piano under Betsy Hermann in Okinawa and Randall Love at Duke University. She began accompanying choirs from age 12, followed soon after by wedding engagements as pianist and organist. A graduate of London Business School, she brings her passion for organising thematic house concerts from Houston and London to the Netherlands. Anne is currently finishing her composition studies at Utrecht Conservatory while writing didactic music and educational articles for her private piano teaching practice. Her ensemble piece "All Tuned Out" performed at the Vredenburg concert hall in Utrecht was recently broadcasted on Dutch Radio 4. Her music, writings, event listings, and reader feedback can be accessed from her website at http://www.anneku.com

Dank jullie wel voor een geweldige middag.
We had a nice time here.

Rebecca and Gert, Zutphen

We enjoyed a lot this afternoon and would love to come again.
Thank you very much.

Alexandria, Rafael, Isabella, and Julie, Utrecht

Rafael Nunez Velazquez Rafael Núñez Velázquez was born in Sevilla, Spain and completed his modern violin studies in this city. Three years ago he became interested in early music and started to train on the baroque violin with members of the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla (Baroque Orchestra of Seville), before coming to the Netherlands to study with Antoinette Lohmann. Rafael is finishing his first year at Utrecht Conservatory.

Live performances are so much nicer
than the "canned" music. We enjoyed it very much.

Hans and Migueline, Mazan, France

Duo Pan, tenor After graduating from the Conservatory of Shanghai Normal University in piano and singing, Duo Pan became a musical teacher in Shanghai. At the same time he also worked as a music editor for classical music magazines and a radio station. In 2003, he came to Europe to further his studies in singing. Duo first studied in Vienna and Linz before going to Tilburg. Currently he is majoring in classical singing at the Utrecht Conservatory. He has performed in Shanghai Theatre, Shanghai Music Hall, and various places in Spain.

Een heerlijk huisconcert, in een prachtige woning waar iedereen zich welkom voelt!

Otto, Utrecht

Yorgos Pavlakos A native of Athens, Greece, Yorgos Pavlakos began taking recorder lessons at age 8 and four years later commenced classical guitar studies with Stelios Bratos. After 6 years of guitar, he returned to the recorder and followed lessons with Manos Avarakis. In Athens Yorgos worked with the director Thanos Mihalas, as composer and performer in theatrical plays. He also took part in several social and private events as recorder player and percussionist. In 2004, he moved to Utrecht to study under Heiko ter Schegget. Yorgos is currently finishing his studies at Utrecht Conservatory.

Dank voor 'n hele speciale middag.
Hopelijk maken we dit nog vaker mee!


Thijs & Anne-Marie, Bussum

Carol Ruiz Gandia Carol Ruiz Gandia studied piano with Gloria Miquel and Nati Cubells at the Conservatory of Music in Barcelona, where in 2002 she received the diploma in piano, pedagogy, chamber music and solfege. Later she continued her piano and pedagogy studies with Maria Fernanada Nunez and took masterclasses with Suzanne Bradbury, Pietro de Maria, Alexis Golovin, Karin Merle, Leonid Sintsev, and so on. Since 2005 she has been pursuing her master's in piano with Alan Weiss at Utrecht Conservatory. She has given solo recitals and chamber music concerts in several concert halls in Barcelona, Castello, and Utrecht.

Wij Ton en en ik hebben zeer genoten van jullie huisconcert.
Het huis de tuin,de lekkere tapas en de ontspannen sfeer waarin gemusiceerd werd hebben ons blij verrast.
Dank je wel hiervoor. Wij komen vast nog eens terug.
Hartelijke groeten,

Diny, near Helmond

I would like to thank you for the organisation of yesterday.
It was really nice!

Katia, now in Zurich

Hidesato Sugiyama Born in Nara, Japan, Hidesato Sugiyama encountered early music at Nagoya University while studying mathematics. After graduation, he came to Utrecht to study the recorder under Heiko ter Schegget. Hidesato is finishing his studies at Utrecht Conservatory.

Fantastic afternoon with great music.
You can dream away hearing those fantastic different instruments.
A big thank you to all the musicians!

Serge and Yanmei, Eindhoven

I loved the international flavour of your houseconcert.
Liesbeth, Utrecht