Stichting Museum Geelvinck
Our organisation dates back to the late eighties of last century. Our name derives from the Geelvinck Hinlopen House, a grand 17th century canal mansion within the UNESCO World Heritage Canal District in the historic inner city of Amsterdam, were our organisation was located for a quarter of a century. Today, we have two modest venues: one in Amsterdam and one at Kolthoorn House & Gardens in the beautifully forested countryside of the North-Veluwe.
Started as a historic house museum, since 2004 our organisation developed concert series in the realm of HIP classical and early music, next to projects with traditional non-Western music, both at our own venues, as well as at other venues all over the Netherlands. The museum stewards a collection of over 450 historic complex, semi-immobile keyboard musical instruments; mostly fortepianos (squares, grands and other) from the late 18th through 19th centuries and harmoniums from the 19th through early 20th centuries. This includes the collection of the former Sweelinck Museum, once part of the ‘Sweelinck’ Conservatorium of Amsterdam, and the Harmonium Museum Nederland, as well as instruments from the former Finchcocks and Colt Collections. We collaborate with the Conservatorium of Amsterdam, as well with other stakeholders in the area of music and heritage. We are institutional members of REMA – European Early Music Network, ICOM Music (CIMCIM), ICLCM and DemHist, Europa Nostra and Interpret Europe. In addition, we active in several heritage networks, including especially ICOMOS.
From 2011 through 2020, we organised nine anual editions plus one online edition of the Geelvinck Fortepiano Festival. Each festival included 35 to 45 concerts, 2 to 3 days of master classes, a scientific symposium, an international call for new compositions for early pianos, and other activities such as walking concerts, music & heritage events, and early piano competitions for emerging professional fortepianists. These activities took place at our main museum venue, which has a small, flat-floor concert stage, and other venues in Amsterdam and historic locations with our period pianos on loan. The festival has an international, mainly European character: about 90% of the musicians and other participants come from abroad. We collaborate with conservatories, universities, museums, and knowledge centres across Europe and beyond. It is the sole festival for early pianos of this size in Europe and is comparable to the renowned festival at Cornell University – Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard. We received three times the European quality label EFFE (‘Europe for Festivals – Festivals for Europe’) from the European Festival Association (EFA).
Since its very start Geelvinck has been active in the international realm of cultural dialogue. It contributed to the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations 2001 and it has developed various projects itself, as well as collaborated with other international parties on these such as trans-Atlantic slavery, shared and disputed heritage, decolonisation, inclusivity of migrated heritage communities, and other. For instance, we partnered with ICOMOS in the International Underground Railroads to Freedom Network, with Arnold Bake Society (ethnomusicology) in the Arnold Bake Day on Surinames Music Traditions, and with the MoWIC Foundation on the MoWIC Vrijburgh Conference with the theme of Trans-Atlantic Slavery in relation to the Dutch West-India Company.
In 2021, we developed the project ‘Beethoven is Black’, which gave a powerful boost to further projects in this area. In the Western world, classical music is commonly accepted as a universal value. Other, non-Western music genres are often grouped under ‘world music’, revealing a colonial perspective. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, ethnomusicology faced a debate about appropriation. Concurrently, the rumour that Beethoven had African roots resurfaced, with Beethoven claimed by black communities. This prompted our museum to start the ‘Beethoven is Black’ project, mainly carried out digitally due to COVID-19. The project explored how musicians of colour in classical and early music view Beethoven. On one hand, classical music is tied to Western cultural dominance, while Beethoven represents values like freedom and equality. The project also examined if musicians of colour faced career obstacles due to racism. It culminated in a global online discussion with participants from various non-Western backgrounds, mainly Afro-American, but also Asian. The interviewer and moderator were from the Afro-Surinamese community in the Netherlands. No “white” participants were involved. Most participants experienced career barriers due to racist assumptions. Classical and early music were not framed as “white” by these musicians, but the marginalisation of their own cultures under “world music” was criticised. Unconscious racism in music education is seen as structural, explaining the underrepresentation of black musicians. Since our efforts, this issue is more addressed in the sector.
Stichting Museum Geelvinck is a non-profit organisation registered by the Netherlands Tax Authority. Museum Geelvinck is listed in the Netherlands Museum Register. Our museum is a member of the Dutch Museum Association, the Amsterdam Museum Association and Heritage Gelderland. Our festival organisation is a member of the Dutch Association of United Festivals of Performing Arts and the Amsterdam Festival Association.