// Dutch Harp Festival

Our team

Remy van Kesteren

Artistic director Remy has been the visionary behind the Dutch Harp Festival since its inception. As board member, he is responsible for the artistic and conceptual dimensions of the production: planning the contents of the festival and competition as well as booking the guest artists and creative partners. His work creating this festival closely ties in with his international career as a concert harpist.

• Artistiek leider Stichting 49
• Ambassadeur Leerorkest
• Ambassadeur Musicians Without Borders
• Ambassadeur Kindermuziekweek

Gert Wijnalda

Business director Gert has been involved with the Dutch Harp Festival since its beginnings in 2010 and has served in many capacities, including as board member and business director. Besides the Dutch Harp Festival, he is managing director of IT-businesses Moni IT & Consulting, RedAnt and Prometech in Utrecht.

• Directeur Moni IT & Consulting
•⁠ ⁠⁠Algemeen directeur RedAnt
• Managing director Prometech
• Voorzitter KDV De Krakeling
• Bestuurslid Stichting Mag Ik Dan Bij Jou

Elizabeth Jaxon

Competition director Elizabeth has served the Dutch Harp Festival in multiple roles—performer, blogger, photographer, media correspondent, and now competition director and board member—since its first edition. Drawing from her experience as a veteran of many international harp competitions, she aims to make the DHF World Harp Competition in 2020 an incredible experience for everyone involved.

Team

Paul HooijmansFinance, board member
Paul is CFO for three IT organizations, and has been involved with the Dutch Harp Festival since 2012.

• Directeur Moni IT & Consulting
• Financieel directeur RedAnt
• Financieel directeur Prometech

Marit Nijhuis – Production
Marit is in charge of making the impossible a reality. While she was involved in the production of previous editions, she is producing the entire Dutch Harp Festival for the first time in 2021. Marit is in charge of everything having to do with getting the right things and people to the right place at the right moment.

Jochem Winterwerp – Marketing
Jochem did marketing for dozens of pop concerts and festivals and is working with us since 2018. All aboard! To Planet Harp!

Henriett Somlai – PR & Press
Starting with the 2024 festival, Henriett is responsible for all press and related inquiries. Contact her through pers@harpfestival.nl.

Supervisory Committee (Raad van Toezicht)

Christianne Noordermeer van Loo, chairperson
• Founder of The Company of NNBC
• Voorzitter Raad van Toezicht Stichting HetHuis
• Bestuurslid Stichting Luchtmans
• Lid organoleptisch panel olijfolie instituut Den Bosch

Tijn Pieren, member
• Directeur-bestuurder Stichting DOMunder
• Bestuurslid Stichting Samenwerkende Utrechtse Musea

Pim Heemskerk, member
• Advocaat at Paulussen Advocaten NV
• Gastdocent Financieel Recht Universiteit Leiden & Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

Marco de Souza, member
• Directeur/bestuurder Stichting Leerorkest
• Directeur/bestuurder Stichting Instrumentendepot van het Leerorkest
• Directeur/bestuurder Stichting Muziekcentrum Zuidoost
• Lid Raad van Toezicht Nederlandse Bachvereniging

Advisory Board

Henk de Breij
Former director at EPP Public Relations, former chairman of the Dutch Harp Festival (2010-2019)

Annemarie Goedvolk
Director at Lustr, Business director of Festival Classique

Maarten van Hezik
General Director at STABU

Hans Kuperus
Former Cabinet Chief of the Mayor of Utrecht

Guy van Hulst
Programmer at TivoliVredenburg

Veronica Martinez Sobrino
Executive Assistant of the executive board of the University of Utrecht

Age Versluis
Booker at Friendly Fire

Committee of Recommendation

Floris de Gelder
Director Soestdijk Palace

John van Haaren
Regional Managing Director Benelux at Unibail-Rodamco

Hartmut Haenchen
Conductor

Janine Jansen
Violinist, soloist

François Leleux
Hoboist, soloist, professor at the Musikhochschule München

Christoph Poppen
Chef conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern

Edward Witsenburg
Harpist, former professor of the Mozarteum Universität in Salzburg

Désirée Majoor
Vice-voorzitter College van Bestuur van het HKU

Contact

You can contact us through our main e-mail address: info@harpfestival.nl.

Business / sponsoring / partnerships: Gert Wijnalda
Press enquiries: Henriett Somlai

Mailing address:

Stichting Dutch Harp Festival
Churchilllaan 11 (17e etage)
3527 GV  UTRECHT