Vera Kerstens

Vera Kerstens (born September 23, 1987 in Greensboro , North_Carolina) is a Dutch-American pianist.
Biography
From ages eight to eleven, Kerstens studied with Ton Hartsuiker. Immediately thereafter (in 1998), she was admitted to the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she studied with Mila Baslawskaja until 2008. In her final Conservatory year, she studied with Homero Francesch in Zürich, Switzerland, where she graduated in 2009.
At the age of twelve, Kerstens won first prize at the Princess Christina Competition in The Hague. She also won the Young Pianist Foundation prize, and was invited to perform at the YPF Gala Concert in the recital hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Kerstens has recorded Glinka’s “Variations on the Song 'Nightingale' by Alyabyev ” for a CD produced by the Young Pianist Foundation.
Kerstens currently resides in Amsterdam.
Concert life
In addition to performing in the major Dutch concert halls, Kerstens has had many engagements abroad. In October 2003, she went on tour in Curaçao, representing the “Young Talent” department of the Conservatory of Amsterdam, together with three other musicians. This was sponsored by the Prince Bernhard Culture Foundation.
In collaboration with the Princess Christina Foundation, Kerstens performed solo and together with violinst Nora van der Stelt in Kopenhagen in 2004, by invitation of the Dutch Embassy. She also collaborated with the Princess Christina Foundation on a tour of the United States and Canada in the spring of 2006.
In 2007, Kerstens once again performed in the United States, during her study with pianist Ruby Morgan.
Furthermore, Kerstens has had engagements in Austria (2004 and 2005), Germany (2007), Poland (2007), and Italy (2009).
Chamber music
Besides solo repertoire, Kerstens is an avid performer of chamber music: she has formed duos with violinist Marina Meerson (in 2001-2002), violinist Nora van der Stelt (in 2003-2005), and violinist Tosca Opdam (in 2006-2008). Kerstens has also performed in various trios, kwartets, and kwintets.

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