Remy van Kesteren (8 March 1989) is a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

harpist The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual string (music), strings running at an angle to its sound board (music), soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing ...

and artistic director of the

Dutch Harp Festival The Dutch Harp Festival (DHF) is a harp musical festival that takes place every two years in Utrecht, Netherlands. The Dutch Harp Festival was founded in 2010 and features harpists from around the world and a variety of musical genres. The festiv ...

Education

Remy van Kesteren was admitted to the

Utrechts Conservatorium The Utrechts Conservatorium is a Conservatory of Music in Utrecht, Netherlands and part of the '' Utrecht School of the Arts'' (HKU). The conservatory opened in 1875 and is one of the eldest professional musical education institutes of the Neth ...

into a class taught by at the age of ten and he graduated with the highest distinction in 2010. He continued his training at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, where he was inspired by the famous harpist Isabelle Moretti. In 2012 he obtained his master's degree ''summa cum laude'' from the

Conservatorium van Amsterdam The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

. He took composing lessons from composer Willem Jeths.

Awards

Remy van Kesteren has won several prizes. He is the winner of the , the prize for exceptional young talent in the Netherlands. He won first prizes at Dutch harp competitions and the Prinses Christina Concours. In 2008 he won third place at the International Harp Competition in Moscow and in 2009 third prize at the prestigious

The International Harp Contest in Israel The International Harp Contest in Israel is a harp competition. Founded in 1959 by Aharon Zvi Propes in the city of Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, ...

. That year he also won the final of the ' competition, which earned him the title 'Young Music Talent 2009'. In October 2012 he toured the Netherlands as laureate of Dutch Classical Talent, a promotional project by, among others, the

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, established in 1888 at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). It is considered one of the world's leading orchestras. It was known as the Concertgebouw Orchestra u ...

and Radio 4, the final of which took place on April 21, 2013 in the Royal Concertgebouw. In 2013 he won the

USA International Harp Competition The USA International Harp Competition (USAIHC) was founded in 1989 by harpist and pedagogue Susann McDonald. It is the only international harp competition held in the United States, and it is one of only seven music competitions in the United Stat ...

. In 2013 he also won the Grachtenfestival Prize, which is awarded annually to a young musician or ensemble at the start of an international career. In 2016 he won the Dutch Music Prize, the highest award from the

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (; OCW) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for education, culture, science, research, gender equality and communications. The Ministry was created in 1918 as the Ministry of Education, Arts and Sci ...

for classical musicians.

Dutch Harp Festival

At the age of twenty, Remy van Kesteren founded the

(DHF), a festival with concerts focusing on the harp, and the

DHF World Harp Competition The Dutch Harp Festival (DHF) World Harp Competition is an international harp competition hosted in the Netherlands every two years. The competition is open to all harp, harpists regardless of age, nationality and musical genre. The finals are ...

, an international harp competition open to harpists from all nationalities, ages and genres.

Instrument design

Remy van Kesteren developed the Réus 49 together with Salvi. The Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation supervised the innovative process and purchased the instrument. The new instrument has 49 instead of 47 strings and can be played both acoustically and electrically amplified. It also has a damping mechanism, allowing you to mute all strings with one movement of the knee. The instrument was presented at the

Education

Awards

Dutch Harp Festival

Instrument design

Discography

References

External links