Sjoelen, Saxophone and Strings: My Muziekzomer with Nexus 🎷🎻

Earlier this August, I had one of those magical three-day stretches that make you remember why you love being a musician. Together with the fantastic Otilka Quartet, we took our new project Nexus on a tour of four concerts during the Muziekzomer Gelderland festival. This wonderful event celebrates young musicians by filling the region with music in unique and inspiring settings!

Gelderland, the Veluwe… and some surprise guests 🦌🐌🐸

If you don’t know much about Dutch geography, let me give you a tip: Gelderland is where you’ll find one of my absolute favourite places in the Netherlands, the Veluwe. Imagine endless forests, soft sandy paths, and more wildlife than you can count.

We spotted beautiful deer, tiny frogs (honestly, so cute), and… a giant yellow snail. I’m not exaggerating: it was massive, and moved with the kind of confidence only something that slow can have.

We stayed at the Stayokay hostel in Apeldoorn, right next to the Veluwe. This meant morning forest walks, concerts during the day, and evening drinks with the NJO musicians that were rehearsing nearby. Many of them were old friends from our student days, and I also met new people. That's always one of the best treats of festival life! 🍻

What is Nexus?

Nexus, latin word for connection, is my latest project: original music for saxophone and string quartet. I fell in love with this sound combination the very first time I heard it back in 2018. The mission? To connect musicians, composers, and audiences through new music. And I really mean new. The oldest piece in our program is from 2008!!! 😱

We commissioned two new works: Patchwork by Lisa Weyrauther and Oort by Ian Wilson. Playing music written especially for you feels like getting a present that’s both exciting and deeply personal.

Audience magic ✨

Contemporary music can sometimes make audiences (and programmers) a little hesitant. And sure, I sometimes doubt myself too — not because I don’t love the music, but because I wonder if others will also connect to it the same way I do!

But this tour proved something important: when you believe in what you’re playing and pour your heart into it, audiences notice. And they respond. The reaction at each concert was so warm, so enthusiastic, that I left with actual cheek pain from smiling while thanking people 😅.

It felt like we had created something together: the quartet, the composers, me, the music, and the audience, all meeting in one perfect Nexus!

Where the real competition happened! 😆🏓🎱

Festival life isn’t just about the stage. Back at the hostel we played pool, ping pong, Trivial Pursuit, and my new favourite Dutch game — Sjoelen! (Shoutout to Iris and Lucien, who were basically unbeatable! 🤯)

This Muziekzomer was about more than music. It was about connection, joy, and the privilege of sharing something new. I can’t wait to share with all of you where Nexus travels next!! 💿😁

📸 Jeroen Kellermann