Cristian Sandrin

Born in Bucharest, Romania to a family of musicians, Cristian Sandrin started his musical training with Marina Dragomirescu and Cristian Dumitrescu at the Dinu Lipatti Art College. He had his solo debut at the famous Romanian Atheneum Hall in 2006. He is currently studying under Diana Ketler and Christopher Elton for Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. He is the recipient of MMus (DipRAM) and BMus degrees from the same institution, holding scholarships from the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, Countess of Munster Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, Carold Craxton Memorial Prize, Help Musicians UK, the Hattori Foundation and the Tillett Trust.

Among numerous prizes and distinctions in international piano competitions, such as the top prize of the Windsor International Piano Competition 2018, the Sheepdrove Intercollegiate Piano Competition, Automobile Club de France Piano Competition, the ‘Animato’ Competition in Paris, ProPiano International Competition or the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist competition, Cristian is a recent holder of the Harold Craxton Chamber Music prize at the Royal Academy of Music, being also a past recipient of the William Sterndale Bennett Prize.

Cristian Sandrin is a frequent guest artist at the venues such as Wigmore Hall, Queen Elisabeth Hall, St James Piccadilly, Brighton, Oxford,Salle Cortot Paris, Salla Manuel de Falla in Madrid, Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, ‘La Fenice’ Theatre in Venice and performed as a soloist with Bacau National Philharmonic, Sibiu National Philharmonic, Ramnicu-Valcea National Philharmonic and Bucharest Symphony Orchestra and many others.

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