Brazilian violinist Gustavo Lennertz supported with his musical studies in Vienna

Thanks to American violist Jennifer Stumm/Director of the Ilumina Festival founded in São Paulo in 2015 which began as a small musical “talent development” project on a farm that has now grown in six years to include hundreds of young musicians from South America, we came to learn of the young and talented Brazilian violinist Gustavo Lennertz who is currently studying at the Neues Wiener Konservatorium in Vienna. Jennifer Stumm mentioned to the board that Gustavo was busking on the streets to try and make ends meet while hoping to focus on his violin studies. Gustavo wrote to the Stichting Rudi Martinus Van Dijk to see if we could make a contribution to his living expenses to free up time for his violin practice and study. Happily the board agreed to assist him for a period of 3 months.

An email from August 2022 from Gustavo Lennertz to the Stichting RMVD:

Dear Director Walter van Dijk,

I write this email in gratitude for the support given to me through your association. I would also like to apologize for not having reported back in the last few months. The last semester was really full of activities, work and studies and thanks to your help I managed to stay in Vienna and continue my bachelor’s degree in violin. Thanks to the support of the Rudi Martinus van Dijk foundation, I was able to focus more on my artistic and career development. In the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to perform, along with other colleagues, at one of the main classical music festivals in the world: the Lucerne Festival.

This semester I was also invited to play tours in South America, Europe and even the Middle East.

I can say with certainty that your help gave me the possibility to explore my potential more and be able to accomplish all this, because before, with the financial difficulties I had, my energies were directed only to ensure my livelihood.

That’s why I send here a video of thanks for these 3 months of help and I would also like to ask if there would be the possibility of this scholarship for the next semester.

If you need any other information, documents or portfolios I am open to send.

https://youtu.be/7zTk_BkC57Y

This video was recorded in the Sala Terrena which is located in the “Mozart Haus’ complex in Vienna, which I have been playing very often along this year.

Best regards,

Gustavo Lennertz