Aslan Chikovani

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Aslan Chikovani (1996) was born in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. His craving for music, especially the classical, Baroque – Bach, Händel was discovered at the age of four. When he was five years old Aslan entered the 21st Art school in Tbilisi. For the first time entering Marina Vardoshvili’s classroom, his future teacher, with whom he subsequently studied for 11 years, he stated with an air of importance: “I will be a musician! I will be a pianist!”

Already from the first class, Aslan began to approach his goal by performing a piano concerto with a symphony orchestra in the small hall of the Tbilisi Conservatory under the direction of the conductor Revaz Takidze.

During these eleven years he repeatedly took part in various musical projects and became a winner in many contests: Laureate of the third and the winner of the fourth Tbilisi International Young Pianists Competition Winner of the International Young Pianists Competition in Frankfurt, ‘Golden Note’ Laureate of the XVIII International Competition of Young Pianists named after Frédéric Chopin in Szafarnia (Poland), Winner of the Grand Prix of the First International Republican Contest-Festival ‘Future Stars’ and winner of T. Amirejibi Borjomi International Piano Competition 2019. Having successfully completed his studies at the Art School in 2015, Aslan Chikovani entered the Tbilisi State Conservatoire named after Vano Saradzhishvili at the piano department in the class of Professor Nino Katamadze, where he is currently studying in master’s and actively participates in many music projects of the conservatory.

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As a little girl I walked with my mother in Naarden Vesting, on the way to the Turfpoortstraat, on the way to my grandmother. I can’t remember much about my visit to grandma, but what I still remember clearly are the high sidewalks and the buildings! The Spanish House, the Andreas Church! The former church building that was built by the Robert F.W. Bruinsma foundation was converted into a concert hall. How did that happen?

In my youth I listened to the St Matthew Passion many times in the Grote Kerk in Naarden. My parents were both organizationally involved in these beautiful performances by the Netherlands Bach Society. At that time, the seeds were sown for my development in and love for music. After my childhood and schooling, my husband and I have done a lot of work abroad and have lived in France for 25 years. The music then came into the background a bit, but it never really left my head. My husband passed away in 2005.

During that period I started organizing piano concerts on our estate in France. It was a success! And it gave me the energy and the idea to take up that also in the Netherlands after I sold the estate. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, the Robert F.W. Bruinsma set up. The main objective of our foundation is to support young musicians, especially piano students, on their way to their future.

The Andreaskerk in the Turfpoortstraat in Naarden Vesting has been purchased with the aim of creating a home base for the activities of our foundation. After three years of renovation, we have transformed the former church into a small-scale concert hall. In the initial phase of the renovation I met the pianist Nino Gvetadze. She was introduced to me by Jan Wijn, a well-known piano pedagogue in the Netherlands. Nino and I had a few conversations and it soon became clear that we are on the same page regarding thoughts about music and youth. So Nino presented her plan to me. An idea to bring young top talent from the piano master’s program at the conservatories into contact with people who are important for their development on the way to their career. And this was the starting signal for the ‘Naarden International Piano Festival’. We are both very proud that it has come to this.

You have a dream but you have to dare to stick your neck out to make it come true. Persevere, don’t hesitate, go after your goal!
Music connects people!
We hope to connect students with master pianists!
With a small team of employees, we are doing our best to put this festival on the map for the future.
We hope to offer you as an audience a few days of beautiful music!

Hankie Bruinsma Verbrugh (December 14, 1946 – October 23, 2023)
Co-founder of the Naarden International Piano Festival
Founder and former chairman of the Robert F.W. Bruinsma Foundation