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History

The beginning

In 1970, Jur Naessens, founder and driving force behind the Ricciotti ensemble, was working at the Foundation for Youth and Music Nederland. One afternoon in September, Naessens received a call from Daan Padmos, manager of several pop groups. He was looking for a classical youth orchestra for a pop festival in a circus tent in a field in Uithoorn, lasting about a quarter of an hour. After exploring various options, it turned out that 12 string players from the Hilversum Youth Orchestra could gather. The concertmaster of this orchestra was then 14-year-old Jan Erik van Regteren Altena. Together with his two-years-younger brother Eduard (cello), Maurits Wijzenbeek (violin), and Lucas Jansen (violin), he formed the core of this ad hoc ensemble. From the Regteren Altena family library, Carlo Ricciotti’s second concertina was selected. 

After two Saturdays of rehearsals, the group of 12- to 14-year-olds, driven by Jur Naessens, left for Uithoorn in a Transit van. Upon arrival, it became clear that there were no seats for the string players, so they performed standing. Additionally, the stage was still covered in cables and boxes from the pop group that had previously played. As a result, the string players positioned themselves in front of the stage, amidst the audience sitting on the grass. The performance was a complete success. 

Afterward, the musicians were very disappointed that the performance had been so short, especially given the time they had spent rehearsing beforehand. The bus then headed toward Haarlem station. After some negotiations with officials, the group was allowed to perform. The travelers at the station also turned out to be enthusiastic, and within a short time, a sizable crowd had gathered. 

The musicians were delighted and wanted to play again. The next option was a retirement home. Several homes were not interested, but the eighth dementia care home found it quite exciting. The group gave their third performance of the day there. The musicians found this way of making music to be the best. Most of them had grown up with classical music, and the majority of their parents were musicians. The 'normal' concert was familiar to them—they were members of a 'normal' youth orchestra—but what they experienced that day was so different that they wanted to keep doing it this way. 

This was essentially the first performance of what would later become the Ricciotti Ensemble. The core values of the Ricciotti Ensemble were immediately clear from these performances: good music, accessible, everywhere, and for everyone.