The Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo

Concert on Sunday February 12th, 2012!

2012-02-11T23:01:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow again playing in the Achterhoek: this time Lochem, 12.00PM. Come and listen!

Traveling - fire, tomato soup and skype

2011-11-29T00:51:00.009+01:00

I still hate the smell of fire; it makes me stop breathing for a few seconds and my heartbeat increases to at least allegro molto.
October 2009: we just had the most wonderful time in Israel. Playing Poulenc concerto with the Israel Symphony Orchestra, spending the week at a friends' place, eating the best humus ever and on top of that, I bought an amazing pair of shoes. What do I want more in life. I figured out quite soon: staying alive would be nice. Our plane left in the very early morning. Sitting in my seat with watery eyes of drowsiness and tears of sadness leaving the country and my friends I fell almost asleep. 'Nooo!' Somebody screamed in my ear and I immediately woke up. Dude, I was trying to sleep, can you turn down your volume please? 'Fire! Fire in the engine!' Hm ok, that's a legitimate reason to wake me up. And there it was; the smell of fire, something burning. What shall I do? I could either panic and cry or panic and freeze out of fear. I chose the last one, although my silence was sometimes interrupted by some hysterical giggles. Of course there was a big chaos: stewardesses were screaming, the pilot broke the record of the 100 metre-dash running out of the cockpit to check the situation. Minutes passed by, every single one of them seemed to last forever. No information was provided and for some unknown reason we continued flying. I saw the crew praying and I was thinking of converting to any random religion just to join them. Eventually we landed at Bucharest airport (alive, yay!), awaited by legion of police and firemen. A few minutes later we had coffee in the airport lounge as if nothing had happened. Ok, that's it, I'm never getting on a plane anymore. 'Ladies and gentlemen, flight 402 to Amsterdam is now boarding'. That's ours, shoot. Silently we finished our coffees and walked towards the gate. Somehow I started humming the third movement of Chopins' second sonata. Marche funèbre.

I love traveling, I really do. Ok after this incident I rather walk to Israel than fly, but still, every day I'm getting more and more eager to travel to places I haven't been yet. Performing musicians travel, fact. I have friends living out of suitcases, almost forgetting what their own home looks like. Sounds exciting. Truth is, when I talk to them I can see both happiness and loneliness in their eyes. I sympathize. At such moments I'm aware playing in a duo is in a way easier than being a soloist. Still, we have to be able to handle very strong emotions. Feelings that maybe would have been different or even absent when I would just have had a 'normal' job. If it would be possible to measure emotion and mental conditions my results would be either extremely high or sadly low, changing almost every hour of the day. It's not just the music that makes us so involved, it's also connected to things we see, feel and experience. Traveling makes life sad and beautiful, it brings so many wonderful experiences:
- of course: seeing the world! Getting to know new cultures, nature, food, shops..
- stamps in my passport. I like stamps in my passport. I know, it's quite sad.
- learning new languages. The Germans think I'm cute speaking 'Dutch-German', the French have absolutely no idea what I'm saying, I still mix up the few Italian and Spanish words that I know, and my Hebrew consists of bad words or things that are absolutely useless (I would like two tons of olives please). But hey, I'm learning and having a lot of fun with it.
- Watching James Bond on Polish television. Synchronized in Polish, still able to hear the English voices vagely. Oh and let's not forget: one guy doing all voices. Also women's voices. Without any kind of emotion. Seriously, none. Hilarious.
- Sharing my room with the other ex-girlfriend of my ex during a summer course. Talking, lots of talking. We became good friends, poor guy.
- Learning how to eat Chinese take away while driving to a concert. My duo partner is very specialized in tomato soup; I'm more of an egg roll person.
- Meeting so many wonderful people, making new friends, playing music with them, talking, having a beer. I'm smiling now thinking of all the friends I have from all over the world :)

Of course and unfortunately there are also some downsides:
- It can be damaging for your heart. For example when your plane is about to crash or Belgium truck drivers just stear to the leftside of the road without turning on the flasher and you driving 160 kmh just behind them.
- Experiencing some countries cannot offer the opportunities young talented musicians need to develop themselves, like in Europe, because priorities are on a completely different level: providing a home, food and jobs for the people. It's unfair, because I felt the eagerness to learn and make music in those people, more than with some of the people living in my country.
- Phone bills. No explanation needed.
- And one of the hardest: saying goodbye to friends. I will never get used to that. I have made some really special friends in the past years. Spending weeks with them at festivals, courses and competitions is so intense. Sometimes such weeks are almost surreal and very often I don't want to go back to reality. Although reality means going back to my dear family and friends, it also includes a feeling of emptiness. But let's not forget: Hallelujah to Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp and Viberphone! Well the last one not so much, since the average conversation through Viber is mostly 'Hello, hello.. Can you hear me? Hello?', *beep*, followed by a Whatsapp message 'I hate Viberphone, turn on your Skype'.

I really can write on and on about this subject. But I rather think of the future, wondering what adventures it will bring. Dear friends, I'm thinking of you and missing you. Eventually it doesn't really matter where people live, most important is.. Oh incoming Skype call, gotta go! Bye.

Oh dear, those competitions...

2011-11-06T19:53:00.001+01:00

Five minutes to go. I feel sick. My heart: BMP 180. Toilet. Oh dear, what's the first chord? I look at my partner, he's completely white, poor guy. We smile at each other, trying to pretend we feel all right, but we can almost smell each other's fear. 3 more minutes. Again toilet. When I see myself in the mirror I look away quickly. Grey skin, bloodshot eyes; that's not me. Damn, the first chord, B or B-flat? 1 minute to go. I feel really sick. Why do we do this to ourselves? This is not what music is about. 'Duo Scholtes-Janssens? The stage is yours'. But I need to go to the toilet! Ok no time. Thumbs up and there we go. I feel a bit better when I sit down on the piano stool. I know this, this is what I do! Concentration, eye contact, breathing together and then the first chord; of course B-flat, what else could it have been. When minutes of music pass by we start to forget the presence of the jury, that what we do at this very moment is all-important for a place in the finals. We end with the piece we both love the most, feeling like the we are swallowing the music and the music is swallowing us. Final chord, we did it! We smile, now for real. What were we worried about? Wine and lots of talking; so what's our next competition?

Oh dear, those competitions. I guess all musicians ask themselves when they are in the middle of one: why I am doing this, WHY? Good question. Experiencing loads of them, I can give you a few reasons:
1. Weight loss. If you feel like you may loose a few pounds or kilos I would definitely recommend joining one or more competitions. Weight loss is guaranteed. Doesn't matter if the food is distasteful (East-Poland), greasy (USA) or delicious (Italy): eating is hardly possible. First of all, you don't want to eat, but practice. Secondly, stress is taking away all appetite or even worse, you feel so sick you rather throw up than eat. Byebye kilos.
2. Shopping. For the women among us; we need to find reasons to buy dresses. Nowadays, especially in the bigger competitions, people expect us to look stylish on stage. So there we go, apply for a competition and shopping is a must.
3. Drinking. If you like to drink and party, I would definitely advise you to go to competitions. I recommend any eastern block country. Holland not so much, too neat. If you win the competition, of course you will have a party. If you get kicked out in first or second round it's very reasonable to have some vodka. Maybe because you didn't play well and want to forget. Most probably because you did play well but all the students of the jury members are in the finals. Cheers.

Ok, I'm not completely serious now, but some people think of competitions like their lives depend on it. I know, because I was just like this years ago. I was 18 and completely sure: if I win this competition I will be able to play concerts all over the world, my whole life. And if I don't, it will be the beginning of the end. So I didn't win. And nine years later I'm happier in music than ever. I have to say, me and my duo partner, we did lots of competitions. Some with great successes, some with less. And I'm sure we would not have been as far in our musical lives if we didn't do them. Not especially because of the prizes that come with winning something, but mostly because they made our lives easier. Well, that's strange, right? They did, because we have been in the most stressful, almost mentally unbearable situations and we survived them all. We know now how to perform under pressure, it made us a better duo and better friends. I remember the craziest situation: we did two competitions at the same time, 300 kilometers from each other. We though it would be exciting, driving from one competition to the other. In the worst and best case, which was passing all stages, we would have to travel and play almost every day for more than a week. And guess what, somehow we did. Me, with an injury on my arm and back, hardly able to sit let alone drive and my brave duo partner trying to cope with the chaotic Italian traffic. We laughed, cried, argued out of stress and supported each other. Afterwards we laughed even more, accusing ourselves of being the craziest duo in the world. I remember the concerts we had after this experience were full of joy. Like :)

So now this month is crazy again. Lots of concerts, at least five different programs, working, exams, traveling. But now we know how to handle it, kind of. Most important is to stay positive and enjoy all the wonderful things we can do. Because besides all the stress it can bring, I find it such a privilege to be a musician. And for the bad moments: I still have that bottle of vodka I brought from our last competition...

We're back...

2011-10-28T12:39:00.001+02:00

It has been a while since we've posted something on Blogger. Musicians are in general not very much into digital media. Mostly we practice. And practice. We rehearse, drink coffee, play concerts and practice some more. We absolutely love that. My non-musician friends have absolutely no idea what I'm doing all day when I'm not officially working. Well, that is what I do: practice, coffee, rehearse. A while ago I noticed something fascinating: loads of people actually working on a keyboard, although it's not a piano. Weird. It includes a screen and when you push the keys all kinds of interesting stuff just appear on it... My friends told me it is called a computer. They also refer to it as PC or Mac, but for me: one thing at a time please. I figured out: without this computer I would really have no social life. All conversations seemed to have subjects like 'email', 'facebook' and 'twitter' and I guess my friends were not really talking about birds and books. Since I felt a bit like a misfit within my social life I decided things had to change. I promised myself to become worlds coolest and most up to date classical musician. No need to say that would be quite a big challenge... First step was made: my parents were so kind to give me a computer for my birthday. I had the feeling my new life could finally begin. Step two: press the round button; funny noises and oh yeah, something happens on the screen! I had turned on the machine. I was absolutely thrilled. And most of all, unstoppable: all day pressing keys, on a piano or computer, both were good. I felt reborn. And here I am now, a few years later, writing a blog for my most favorite thing in the world, my musical life, my piano duo. The world of music has changed: it is not just about playing and listening anymore. People got addicted to digital media as well. And as long as it helps musicians to get more support, audience, publicity and so on, who am I to say it's a waist of time. So there we are: on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Linkedin, Youtube and Hyves. You are more than welcome to follow us. And if you do, don't forget to check out our website too www.scholtesjanssens.com :)))

Ps. Since this blog is actually meant to update you about our musical activities: yesterday we played a short concert. Rapsodie espagnole by Ravel for the vice-president of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. We had fun. And I guess mister vice-president and the other people in the audience too. I realized we come from such different cultures, but music is always able to bring us together. Let's never forget that.
And now: practice again. Ok, first coffee, then practice.

Jury members in Sicily

2011-07-01T19:03:00.000+02:00

Lestari & Gwylim will be present as jury members in the annual IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition in Ragusa-Ibla, Sicily, from July 1st until July 11th. They will select a new group of musicians for concert tours in among others the United States of America. It is the second time the Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo will be in Ibla as jury members, after earlier appearance in 2009 as jury and in 2008 as competition winners. More information: www.ibla.org.

Winners Honorary Mention @ 12th International Web Concert Hall Competition

2011-04-08T22:20:00.000+02:00

More information on http://www.webconcerthall.com/

PRESS RELEASE (from website of the Web Concert Hall)

We are delighted to announce the result of the 12th International Web Concert Hall Competition held in the United States from mid January to 1st week of March 2011. The competition was opened to all nationalities without restrictions in their ages for all orchestral instrumentalists and chamber ensembles. 39 performing artists participated from USA, Russia, Canada, Poland, Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, Greece, Italy, to mention few. From 39 participants, 23 were solo instrumentalists and 16 ensembles. The competition was articulated in three rounds: the 1st (eliminatory), the 2nd (semi-final) and the 3rd (final).

The 12th International Web Concert Hall competition concluded with the selection of five (5) honorary mention award recipients.

Five Honorary Mentions were given to the following performers:

HONORARY MENTIONS
Scholtes Lestari and Janssens Gwylim (Piano Duo – Netherlands)

Cristina & Luca Palmas (Palmas Piano Duo – Italy)

Takeaki Miyamae (Flute – Japan)

Dimitris Kotronakis (Classical Guitar - Greece)

Kolesov &Grinevich (Duo Saxophone & Piano – Russia)

Pictures of one of our concerts in Chile

2011-01-06T09:51:00.000+01:00

South American debut for Piano Duo Scholtes and Janssens in December 2010

2010-11-30T23:41:00.000+01:00

In December 2010 Lestari & Gwylim will make their debut in South America. From January to December 20 they will go on tour through Chile and Bolivia. In Chile, they will give concerts in Vina del Mar and Santiago, and in Bolivia in La Paz and Cochabamba. In both countries, the duo will also be giving workshops and master classes. The tour is organized in cooperation with the Dutch Embassies in Chile and Bolivia, the Rabobank Chili and the Dutch Fund for the Performing Arts.

CD-Release Quattrolive on November 28!

2010-11-27T23:43:00.000+01:00

On November 28 the Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo will receive the first copy of their new album during a live broadcast radio program on Radio 4 (Dutch national classical radio).
The first copy of the CD will be awarded during the ceremony for the Radio 4 Award in the big hall of the Muziekgebouw aan het IJ in Amsterdam. Various leading Dutch musicians will perform during this radio broadcast including the Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo, Radio 4 Talent of the Year 2010. Prior to their performance of La Valse by Maurice Ravel, Radio4 presenter Maartje van Weegen will hand over the first copy to Lestari and Gwylim. Thereafter, the Radio 4 Prize be awarded to conductor Jaap van Zweden. The entire program will be broadcast live on Radio 4 from 2.15 PM. The CD includes works by Rachmaninov, Debussy and Ravel for piano four hands and two pianos, and is released under the label of Radio 4, QuattroLive

Succes at Allegro Vivo Competition San Marino - 3th prize

2010-09-28T22:53:00.000+02:00

The Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo has won the 3rd prize in the fourth edition of the prestigious International Piano Competition Repubblica di San Marino "Allegro Vivo". The jury, among e.g. Tamás Vásáry, Philippe Entremont and Lilya Zilberstein praised the 'excellent teamwork' of the duo. They ended as best piano duo from Europe right after the 1st and 2nd prize winners from China and Korea. Lestari and Gwylim played works by Mozart, Debussy, Chopin and Rachmaninov in the finals. In the preliminary round, they played works by Schubert, Ravel and the obligatory piece 'Double Helix' by the American composer Uri Caine, which was the commissioned work for this competition.

The competition was held from the 16th to the 26th of September 2010 in the Teatro Concordia in the Republic of San Marino. Video samples and an interview with Lestari and Gwylim can be watched on www.allegrovivo.org.

2nd prize in Torneo Internazionale di Musica

2010-09-28T22:52:00.000+02:00

The Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo has won the 2nd prize in the international music competition Torneo Internazionale di Musica in Italy, on September 25th 2010. The finals of the fourteenth edition were held in the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona. All the participants were selected in preliminary rounds throughout entire Europa, prior to the last four rounds in Cerea and Verona.

New season 2010-2011!

2010-09-05T22:13:00.000+02:00

The new season 2010-2011 has started and it looks again very promising. After a swirling start in Israel, the Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo will also appear in e.g. Germany, England and China. They will release their first cd in November 2010. Particularities will involve concerts as 'double-duo' (4 pianists on 1 and 2 pianos), together with the famous Silver-Garburg Piano Duo, and an extensive amount of concerts for children with ensemble Podiumbeesten! (Stage animals!), founded by Lestari and Gwylim. More information can be found on www.scholtesjanssens.com

Belgian debut for Lestari and Gwylim

2010-06-15T00:40:00.000+02:00

Lestari Scholtes & Gwylim Janssens will play their début in Belgium on June 13th. The concert will be held in Château Duras in Sint-Truiden, where they will perform the Six Pieces opus 11 by Sergei Rachmaninov. The concert is part of the Basilica Festival of Flanders.

Piano duo wins Concours Musical de France

2010-06-15T00:32:00.000+02:00

The Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo has won the Concours Musical de France (International Piano Competition of France) in the piano four hands category. The finals, held on May 15 and 16, 2010 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, a suburb of Paris, were the concluding rounds of a long set of preliminary rounds that had been held throughout France and other parts of Europe. Lestari & Gwylim played the Six Pieces opus 11 by Sergei Rachmaninov. They competed against duos from France and Poland to obtain the main price 'Prix de Concours Musical de France'.

Scholtes-Janssens winners of Vriendenkrans Competition

2010-06-15T00:25:00.000+02:00

The Scholtes-Janssens Piano Duo has been chosen as winners of the Vriendenkrans Competition of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam 2010 and Radio4 Talent of the Year 2010. The finals, held on May 9th 2010 in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, were the ending of a development traject with a big concert tour and the competition, and were live broadcasted on the Dutch national classical radio, Radio4. It was also the first time that the Radio4 Talent of the Year award was presented.

According to the jury, the duo made the largest development of all three finalists since the preliminary rounds 1.5 year ago. Jury chairman Ronald Kieft praised the “magnifiscent ensemble teamwork, the interaction and pleasure during playing”.

By winning the competition, Lestari en Gwylim won the Vriendenkrans sculpture and some prize money, and will be honored with a name tag in the Honor Gallery of Vriendenkrans Winners in the circular hall around the Concertgebouw’s Small Hall.

More information: see http://www.radio4.nl/page/artikel/14552 en http://www.concertvrienden.nl/ (in Dutch).