Sylvia Traey

The well known Belgian pianist Sylvia Traey was a prizewinner at the world-famous Queen Elisabeth Competition of 1978. About twenty records and CD's with her works appeared, for instance on the EMI label. She has given thousands of concerts in all great theatres in te world. Also she has taught the piano at several conservatories, among them the Gent conservatory. Now she would like to fulfill a warm function towards the people by given concerts in hospitals, elderly homes and in prisons. Her parents were also musicians, as her aunt Christel who was twins with her mother. During the second world war her mother lived in Belgium and her aunt Christel in Leipzig. Christel was a harpsichordist. She played with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig at a time allied bombs hit the city. During that period Christel did correspond a lot with her mother Sabine. About thousand letters of this correspondance are preserved. The letters show the desperation of the artists who fought against the regime and try to expose their art in the meantime. Also they point to the dilemma that the sisters couldn't meet each other but had to write aboute their feelings. Her grandfather, a notary who helped also Jewish people to get into hiding, committed suicide in 1944 because he couldn't support the outrages of the regime any longer. The Belgian editor Pandora published Sylvia's book "Christel" with a few summaries of the letters. The book makes clear what a terrible time war is. But also how art always discovers a way out.



The entrance fee does include the book "Christel" by Sylvia Traey and the collection of poetry "Druppels van zwart rood hemelsblauw" by Kees Buskes.