Very rarly one has such a strong personal connection to a specific place for so many years, as I have with The Zeist Music Days Festival.
This story has began almost 30 years ago when four teenagers, members of the “Young Jerusalem Quartet”, came to Zeist for the first time to take part at the masterclasses with the “Daniel Quartet ” with its cellist Zvi Moschkowski who was the musical leader and founder of this festival. Since then, almost every summer, we were taking part in the different festival activities. First as students, later on as performing artists and teachers. In 2007, Zvi Maschkowski asked me if I would consider taking on as the artistic director. Of course my answer was positive, even I didn’t have any experience. Since 2008 I am officially the artistic leader of the festival. and around that time, the festival has changed its name to “Zeister Muziek Dagen”.
In the last 15 years the festival has grown to a major international event, that has received rave reactions from the press and enthusiastic responses from the audience. It is a cultural meeting place for professionals, students, and dedicated public.The festival offers a series of concerts by world-famous string quartets and soloists, cross-over concerts and lectures at the Moravian Church in the historic surroundings of Zeist Castle. Simultaneously an extensive young talent development program takes place, with daily masterclasses given by renowned musicians, who also perform at the festival concerts. The masterclass program includes a concert tour for the masterclass participants to Amerongen, Almere and Zaltbommel. The masterclasses take place at Kontakt der Kontinenten, a conference hotel in the beautiful wooded scenery of Soesterberg, close to Zeist and the city of Utrecht.
