Lise de la Salle

A career of already over 15 years, award-winning Naïve recordings, international concert appearances – French pianist Lise de la Salle has established herself as one of today’s exciting young artists.

She performs in the world’s most esteemed concert halls – Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and festivals – Kissinger Sommer, La Roque d’Anthéron, Chicago Symphony recital series, Aspen and Ravinia Festivals… In 2014 she becomes the first Artist-in-Residence of the Zurich Opera and performs in New York in the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center with Vienna Symphony.

Lise de la Salle has played with many leading orchestras: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rotterdam Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic and Tokyo Metropolitan, and collaborated with conductors such as James Conlon, Antonio Pappano, Karina Kanellakis, Marek Janowski and Dennis Russell Davies.

She also takes pleasure in educational outreach and conducts master classes in many of the cities in which she performs.

Among her critically acclaimed CDs features an all-Chopin disc with a live recording of the Piano Concerto 2, Op. 21 with Fabio Luisi conducting Staatskapelle Dresden. In 2011, Naïve issued her sixth recording, released in celebration of Liszt’s Bicentennial. The album received Diapason Magazine’s Diapason d’Or and Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice. Her two latest recordings are released in 2018: Bach Unlimited – a Bach-focused album including the Italian Concerto, Liszt’s Fantasy & Fugue on the Theme B.A.C.H. and the Bach/Busoni Chaconne, and Paris-Moscow – recorded with French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca.

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