It’s holiday time for The Rolo’s. The young talents are looking back on a fantastic musical season! Read and watch along. Behind each bold word is a clickable link.
In the summer of 2024, The Rolo’s had their first international musical experience. Eleven concerts in five days in the beautiful surroundings of Ibla, a town on the Italian island of Sicily.
In August, the talented children performed a concert with Mike Boddé at the World Amersfoort Jazz Festival. Once again, the concert took place at a beautiful venue: the Sint Aegtenkapel.
Annemijn started the Junior Jazz College at the Amsterdam Conservatory in September. She had lessons every Saturday with excellent teachers and it is a good opportunity to play with other young talents.
In September Floris appeared on the cover of a Frisian magazine, Tsjil. A wonderful article about Floris was written in this magazine. A few months earlier, Annemijn had the honor of appearing on the cover of another Frisian magazine, Linkk. This magazine featured the young violin talent in a wonderful article.
In October, Floris was asked by the Princess Christina Competition to act as an ambassador for jazz music and perform for Eppo Bruins, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science.
That same month, The Rolos were guests at the farewell of conductor Peter Kleine Schaars. As soloists, they performed in a packed Orpheus Theatre in Apeldoorn with ‘het Orkest Koninklijke Marechaussee’. Another wonderful experience.
October was a busy month, as The Rolos also performed twice in the concert series “Klassiek in de Kas”. The duo played two compositions and accompanied tenor Albert Bonnema and singer Marieke Swart in a Frisian version of John Denver’s Perhaps Love.
Meanwhile, preparations for our own concert production, The Rolo’s & Friends, were in full swing.
In November, Annemijn brought a newly built violin by Ger Sperling to life by giving a concert with it for ‘ De Nederlandse Vioolbouwschool‘ together with Ruud Ouwehand and Floris.
In a beautiful Frisian village called Wergea The Rolo’s gave a wonderful concert.
The first Rolo’s Car Session aired in February and proved a resounding success. It went viral on Instagram. We’re now on part 9 of The Rolo’s Car Sessions. A special feature was published about it in the Leeuwarder Courant.
Finally, on March 9th, the time had come for their own production, The Rolo’s & Friends with special guest Mike Boddé. The children performed brilliantly on a beautiful stage at ‘De Neushoorn’, with superb sound and lighting, and a fantastic grand piano. An 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, brother and sister, gave a full concert of two sets. The audience enjoyed a varied program, featuring both the children’s classical and jazz repertoires. Annemijn also played a duet with her violin teacher, Arjen Beintema. The children also provided a platform for another young talent on piano: nine-year-old Marinde, who was simply stunning. The jazz repertoire was accompanied by wonderful musical friends. Frans van Geest, Vincent Koning, and Gijs Dijkhuizen pushed the children to excel. As a bonus, the NOS Jeugdjournaal (Children’s News) aired a segment on the young talents. We also produced a professional After Movie. The Frisian press was also present. Articles and announcements appeared in the Leeuwarder Courant, Drachster Courant, and the Friesch Dagblad. Omrop Fryslân (local TV network) covered the event on radio and TV. The children were featured in a broadcast by Willem de Vries.
In April, a house concert was held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch at Irene and Peer’s. It is a wonderfully cozy and welcoming way to hold concerts. More of these house concerts will follow next season.
On May 11th, The Rolos gave a concert for the Herbert Duintjer Fund. Just like the previous concerts, the audience was pleasantly surprised that such young children can already give captivating concerts lasting well over an hour and at a high level. We’ve gained many enthusiastic followers because it’s wonderful to see how brother and sister develop musically. We regularly receive comments from music teachers who say that The Rolos are role models in their music lessons. How wonderful is that!
In May, there was another wonderful highlight: The Rolo’s and Friends at the fantastic jazz festival, Jazzy Huiskamers.. A fabulous concert with The Rolo’s, Ruud Ouwehand, and Rob van Bavel. This time, the children were featured in a newspaper article in the Brabants Dagblad, and the article was also published on the digital channels of AD and De Gelderlander. Super cool!
Now, first, a nice vacation. Next school year, there are some exciting challenges waiting for the children. Follow them all at www.therolosmusic.com
