Autumn 2025 marks the second Houten Piano Festival, featuring master classes led by two master teachers, Alan Fraser and Marietta Petkova. One special feature of the first festival in 2023 was a "Feldenkrais Recital". Before Marietta Petkova performed works by Haydn and Schumann, Alan Fraser led the entire audience in a special Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson with the emphasis on listening with the whole body.
This unique event will be repeated at this year's festival, along with other special events. The Festival will be held at the Cultuurhuis Schoneveld in Houten, a suburb of Utrecht about 40 minutes south of Amsterdam.
Visit the Cultuurhuis Schoneveld Facebook page to get more of a feel for the place. Attending this festival, it's easy to combine piano studies with a vacation in one of Europe's most vibrant cities.
To be notified when the festival website is up and running with full schedule and registration information, please sign up for our newsletter.
Many relatively inexperienced pianists may hesitate to attend the festival, feeling they are not good enough or not well-enough prepared. However, Alan Fraser insists that we are all here to learn and this approach can help all of us, no matter what our ability or state of our program. Thus the Festival really is open to all interested pianists:
There is no limit to improvement!
Alan Fraser's Feldenkrais-informed approach to performance also helps instrumentalists and vocalists, transforming their sound by making minute postural adjustments that release hidden physical blocks. If you have a friend or colleague with a specific performing issue, why not invite them to come along. They will be sure to benefit from the Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons that will be held each day.
The festival schedule has not yet been set; what you see below is a sample Piano Somatics Institute schedule which will definitely be modified according to the dictates of the festival planners.
Festival participants will be invited to select from this list of lecture topics for the daily seminars:
Click here for travelling directions to Cultuurhuis Schonveld Zonnehout 36 3991 MX Houten Netherlands
Rene and Christianne Maurer have very kindly offered to host up to two pianists/instrumentalists/singers travelling to Houten from a distance, at €35 per night including breakfast. To connect with Rene to discuss this option, please send him an email.
Otherwise, there are several accommodation options in the Utrecht area.
• To book a hotel we recommend Booking.com. • www.airbnb.com also offers several listings. Book early to get the best choice and the best price.
MEALS
We will eat out at one of the local restaurants, to be decided by democratic vote!
Registration for the festival will take place on the festival website. Sign up for our newsletter if you would like to be notified when the festival website goes online.
We'd like to get to know you better. After registration, please come back to fill out this PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM.
After the festival has concluded, we'd like to keep in touch. Please return here to fill out the INSTITUTE FOLLOWUP QUESTIONNAIRE. This helps you and us to evaluate your experience, plan your ongoing regime for further pianistic advances, and fine-tune the institute structure to better meet your needs.
ALAN FRASER
Canadian pianist Alan Fraser gives master classes and recitals worldwide and conducts ongoing research and refinement on the ideas put forth in his books:
RENE MAURER
The Houten Piano Festival is the brain child of pianist and pedagogue Rene Maurer. He has conceived it, planned it, and put in countless hours devoted to all the organizational details that make an event like this run smoothly.
Rene has performed internationally for several decades, both as a soloist and chamber musician. He is professor of piano at the Houten Music School, teaches at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle, leads a Young Talent Class in Arnhem, and runs a thriving private practice at his studio in Nieuwegein, where his entire class has been trained in part through extensive use of Alan Fraser's Pianimals Method.
Rene's contact information: Email Rene
Cancellation Policy
If you must cancel your registration, reimbursement will be as follows: Cancellations more than two months before Institute opening date: 100% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one month before Institute opening date: 75% reimbursement. Cancellations more than two weeks before Institute opening date: 50% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one week before Institute opening date: 25% reimbursement. Cancellations less than one week before Institute opening date: no reimbursement except in cases of doctor-certified illness or acts of God. We reserve the right to cancel the institute due to insufficient enrolment; in this event, all registration fees are fully refundable.
