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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. 

Na twee zaterdagen repeteren vertrok op zaterdag 24 oktober 1970 het gezelschap van 12- tot 14-jarigen gereden door Jur Naessens in een Transitbusje naar Uithoorn. Daar aangekomen bleken er geen stoelen voor de strijkers te zijn, dus werd het optreden staan gespeeld. Daarnaast lag het podium nog vol snoeren en boxen van de popgroep die daarvoor had gespeeld. Daarom stelden de strijkers zich op voor het podium, te midden van het publiek dat in het gras was gaan zitten. Het optreden was een doorslaand succes. 

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.