Reunion in The Netherlands

Last week I had the rare opportunity to join the musical group Point, a band that reunited in The Netherlands to perform at the 200th anniversary celebration of Minerva, a well known student society at Leiden University. For more than 10 years I was part of this group, which played all over Holland and traveled to some very exciting and exotic places around the world. It was because of my involvement with this particular band that I started to take my singing to another level professionally.

From left to right: Reinier Sijpkens (trumpet & percussion), Quirijn Mees (bass), Gaston van Amerongen (sax), Paulien, Gérard Brikkenaar van Dijk (keys), Mike Breman (drums), Ronald Winckel (guitar), Antoinette van Nievelt (keys), Elbert Waller (keys & strings), Jan Kiewiet de Jonge (sax).

The group dissolved in the nineties, and half of its members moved on and away from The Netherlands, including myself. Although we have stayed in touch over the years, I was initially a little nervous about the idea of a reunion performance after so many years. However I discovered that both our friendship had survived these years as well as our ability to entertain the gathering of more than 4,000 people.

The magic was still there, as members of the audience were singing along to familiar songs, waving lighters in the darkness, which all combined to create a truly special evening of spirited reminiscence. I eagerly look forward to the next reunion…..