Pianoles | Justus van Oel

here once was a little boy in the Indische Buurt who was certain that one day he would play a Bach fugue for an admiring audience. That little boy was me. Piano Lessons, or What the Piano Taught Me is a deeply personal story, but it’s also about you. About us. About anyone who has a mother and once dreamed of heroic, life‑changing deeds.

But why did those dreams never quite happen? And why now, after all these years, do they return — in a different form?

Meet Mr Petri, the piano teacher; Dr Felix Freudenthal; Bach; Mozart. Laugh at the things a small human can convince himself of, or shed a tear — it happens to me sometimes when I tell this story. Good grief. An emotional journey from then to now.

*The Arti Shuffle is a public programme at the artists’ association Arti et Amicitiae, bringing together visual art, performance, music, literature and film.

In collaboration with Arti members and external makers, each edition offers a surprising and multifaceted programme that creates new connections, attracts a wide audience and brings fresh energy to the sociëteit.