Pablo Suaste

Described by the Fanfare Magazine in 2018 as a genuine poet at the keyboard, Pablo Suaste’s elegant and virtuosic artistry has led him to be recognized as a rising artist in the music world.

In January 2017, Mr. Suaste won the Aeolian Classics Emerging Artist Award at the Chicago College of Performing Arts; as a result, he recorded a debut solo album dedicated to works of Franz Liszt , released in 2017 on Aeolian Classics. As the Aeolian Classics Emerging Artist Award winner, he also performed in a seven-tour recital around Chicago.

In August 2018 Pablo was awarded with the second prize at the Esperanza Cruz International Piano Competition. He was awarded with the third prize at the UDG National competition in Mexico, where he also received the prize for the best rendition of the compulsory piece. In addition, he recently received the bronze medal at the Angelica Morales International Piano Competition in Mexico.

Past performance highlights include appearances at important concert venues in Mexico and the US, including his debut with orchestra conducted by the world recognized pianist and conductor Philippe Entremont with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, and most recently a successful debut at the Fine Arts Palace with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.

Pablo Suaste studies a Masters Degree in piano performance at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with professor Naum Grubert. In June 2020, Pablo was the recipient of the Holland Scholarship granted by the Amsterdam University of the Arts. In addition, Pablo is supported by the Jacques Vonk Foundation and the National Music Foundation with the use of a grand piano. Despite his recent arrival in the Netherlands, Suaste is a commited educator in his community, and alongside his career as a performer, he has a total of 38 piano students in IJburg, where he aims to educate and spread classical music to children and their families.

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