The brilliant young pianist Julian Chan rounds off the 2025 Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival with Rudi Martinus van Dijk’s Sonatina for solo piano.

On Thursday June 12th, 2025 the first Koninklijk Conservatorium Rudi Martinus van Dijk Conductor’s Prize of €5000 was awarded to the young Cuban conductor César Eduardo Ramos.

As the sole funders,The Rudi Martinus van Dijk Foundation were pleased to attend the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra’s commission and performance of Dutch composer Carlijn Metselaar’s new orchestral work Herrinnering in De Doelen concert hall in Rotterdam.

The foundation are excited to announce that the green light has been given for a CD to be made of the orchestral works of Rudi Martinus van Dijk.

Donemus Publishing commences work on creating printed editions of all the remaining unpublished works of Rudi Martinus van Dijk.

The recipient of the Jeanne van Dijk – Koning memorial award presented to youngster Gaia Bar Magen for her violin lessons through the Jeugd Fonds Sport en Cultuur Amsterdam.

The Koninklijk Conservatorium Rudi Martinus van Dijk Conductor’s Prize winner has been announced.

After more than 15 years working with local primary schools (initially Peasmarsh and Beckley primary schools, and then expanding to include Rye Primary, St Thomas’ Winchelsea and Icklesham Primary in recent years), the Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival was delighted to have the opportunity to once again work with more than 140 children from across all five partner schools this year on a programme of workshops focussing on composition and songwriting.

Violinist and Foundation Secretary and board member Anthony Marwood played Rudi’s Violin Sonata to a packed house at Yellow Barn Music Festival’s Big Barn yesterday evening.

The foundation is pleased to announce that the Violin Sonata will receive its American premiere on Thursday July 25th, 2024 in Big Barn at the Yellow Barn Music Festival in Putney, Vermont with violinist Anthony Marwood and pianist Julian Chan.

This year’s education project is in memory of the president and founder of our long-time funder, the Rudi Martinus van Dijk Foundation, Jeanne van Dijk-Koning who lived for many years in Peasmarsh and then in Rye, and who sadly passed away earlier this year.

The Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival was delighted to once again return to their five partner
primary schools to offer a series of music workshops in the summer of 2023, focusing on
composition and songwriting funded by the Rudi Martinus van Dijk Foundation.

In February, the famous cellist Raphael Wallfisch and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, with Ed Spanjaard will make a recording of all works for cello by Henriëtte Bosmans.

“Let us close our eyes to focus our minds on the inner light, our common light, in whose brightness we shall be able to walk together in the dark.
Let us close our eyes as a gesture of trust in the guidance of the one Spirit who will move us if we open our hearts.
One is the human spirit, but the human spirit is more than human because the human heart is unfathomable.
Into this depth let us silently sink our roots. There lies our only source of peace.”

We are pleased to announce the boards decision to fund the commission of a new 10 minute orchestral work by the young Dutch composer Carlijn Metselaar

It is with great sadness to report that the widow of Rudi Martinus van Dijk as well as the Founder and President of the Rudi Martinus Van Dijk Foundation passed away on February 3, 2024.

It is with great sadness and regret to announce the passing of former board member Augusta van de Leuv.

Thanks to American violist Jennifer Stumm/ Director of the Ilumina Festival founded in São Paulo in 2015 which began as a small musical “talent development” project on a farm that has now grown in six years to include hundreds of young musicians from South America, we came to learn of the young and talented Brazilian violinist Gustavo Lennertz who is currently studying at the Neues Wiener Konservatorium in Vienna.

We are delighted to announce the Board’s decision to support the publishing of the remaining works of Dutch composer Henriëtte Bosmans, thanks to the Leo Smit Foundation’s Forbidden Music Regained project.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of the celebrated Dutch Violinist Liza Ferschtman who will join the board from April 2023. Liza Ferschtman is known for her passionate performances, interesting programs and communicative qualities on stage.

Kurdish Iranian Chia S. Ahmed was accepted for study for double bass and cello at Conservatorio di Musica “Giuseppe Tartini” in Trieste, Italy at the Bachelor level. In the Netherlands two Syrians with refugee status, Karoen Bagbodarian cellist and Rani Eias solo cornet /trumpet player entered Master Degree Studies at Hanzehogeschool, Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, NL.

February 10-18 : Anthony Marwood tours the Netherlands as soloist/director with Amsterdam Sinfoneietta. The schedule includes 10th Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ Amsterdam; 12th Breda; 14th Arnhem; 16th Enschede; 17th Leiden; 18th Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Your very generous donation…arrived with our Bank 16 January. Thank you very much.

“To the brave young musicians of Iraq” Paul MacAlindin’s heartfelt dedication in his recently published case history and personal journey from 2009-2014 in “UPBEAT: The Story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq.”

Composition Books sent to Iraq

Ksenia was born in Russia. She says, “During my childhood at the Moscow central school and the Moscow conservatory, I thought that my musical life would focus entirely on solo and chamber music, but…

David Juritz was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He moved to Great Britain in the seventies to study at the Royal College of Music and since then has forged a successful international career in music. He founded Musequality to support musically gifted children in developing countries.

Kate Moore is a composer of new music born in the UK, brought up in Australia, whose mother is Dutch. Kate obtained her masters degree at the Royal Conservatorium in Den Haag and has lived in The Netherlands for ten years.

Two eminent Dutch composers and five equally eminent musicians from Russia, Poland, UK, South Africa and Romania are going to the Rudi Martinus van Dijk Composition Workshop in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq this August.

On July 19th, Hellgurd Ahmed a violinist from the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq contacted us. He asked if we would be interested in helping support them in an upcoming tour to the USA.

We are saddened to learn of the death of our first and beloved benefactor, renowned painter Charlotte (Lotte) Lichtblau.