DirkJan Ranzijn

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Hi all !

Let me first wish you all a very Happy , healthy, and Musical New Year.

What a year 2022 has been.......

Luckily, in the 2nd half of 2022 I was able to do some concerts and presentations, which was absolutely fantastic.

I went to Switzerland about 3 times, and played a couple of times in Germany. The feeling of getting applause again was just so good. One of the nicest concerts I did last year was in Degersheim, which is a very small town in Switzerland. A beautiful Variety Theatre was the setting of a three-days Keyboard festival. I was asked to play on the Saturday evening. About 80 people in the audience, and it was a great atmosphere. Beautifully decorated stage and very nice staff. The venue had a massive cellar, and that was totally dedicated to a Magicians Museum, with all sorts of props, coming from legendary magicians like David Copperfield, Siegfried and Roy, etc.... 

Shorty after I returned back from Switzerland, I had to go to Berlin. I played a concert and a demonstration of the new Böhm Sempra 2.0 system. It was fab to be back in Berlin again, what a great place, and I am proud to say that I have done quite a few shows in that place over the years. 

I have also been asked to play a demonstration/presentation for the Dutch Böhm dealer. We did a full day of demonstrations in the North of Holland. Again, it was a very good day. 

Then, disaster stroke.... The virus came into our country with a new variant, and Holland came to another lockdown. I lost a nice 3 days festival in Germany, and also 38 show in the South of Holland. The biggest worry was when my mam got really ill, and ended up in hospital. She had the dreaded virus, and shortly after that I had it too. Luckily my mam got better quite soon, and after a couple of days in hospital she was allowed to go home again, what a relief. We both feel absolutely fine, but still we have nearly no taste and we can not smell anything.

Holland is still in lockdown as we speak. No concerts, no gigs, no income. Strangely enough you seem to get used to it.

I do have some bookings in the UK this year, but I have no idea what Covid does and what Brexit does. I'm thankful for the many messages I get from my UK fans, and it's touching to read that people miss me. I do hope we can come back to the UK without too much problems.

In the meantime I am still doing my photography, something I really enjoy. Secretly saving up for a 2nd camera, specially for my landscapes, and architecture. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of Circus Photography going on of course.

                                            

The photos above are from my concert in Switzerland. As you can see, there was a beautiful stage.

 

                                      Demonstrating the smaller Böhm SE 20 Sempra. A lovely instrument.

 

Of course, I have also done a new video. This time a song from Bryan Adams, it's called 'Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman'. A beautiful ballad. The photo below gives you the link straight to the video. Just click on the photo and it will take you there.

 

                                                                                                         

 

Well, my dear friends, that was it for now. Please stay safe and healthy.

All the best

Dirk