From André’s website: Sanne Mestrom Here in Limburg everyone is a musician. Every town and every village has its own choir or brass band. Sanne grew up in Brachterbeek (Maasbracht-Beek), one of the smallest villages in Limburg. There is a school, a church, a bakery and of course… a brass band. And not just any brass band, but one of the biggest in the country, and thrice World Champion at the famous World Music Contest in Kerkrade, no less! Everyone in the village plays something; music wafts out of every house and on Sunday mornings that brass band sound can be heard all over the village. Sanne too learned to play the piano and the saxophone from the age of 5. She practiced hard and so it was natural that she should go on to play the saxophone in the village band. Jean Sassen, my double bass player was that band’s conductor back then. And when Sanne was still a little girl, she saw him on the television with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. From then on she dreamed of one day playing with me herself, up there on the stage in one of those gorgeous dresses! After studying piano and saxophone at the Maastricht Conservatory, her dream has finally come true. She plays soprano- and alto saxophone, fabulously, in my orchestra and with her cheeky smile she is always a lively, happy presence on the stage. The first time Sanne came on tour with us, it turned out she had another talent as well. She surprised everyone with her amazing ability to fall asleep, if she wants to, at any time and in any position… and stay asleep! It’s a trick that comes in handy at times with the long plane journeys. Whenever we’re on tour, the children back in the village school start their day by asking “Where is Sanne today?” Then the teacher tells the children where Sanne and the orchestra are on tour that day, and they learn about different places in Europe, America or Asia. They count the kilometers, learn some words in French, German or English, and of course work out how many days have to go by before Sanne will be back in the village!

Meet and greet, July, Maastricht 2019.

June 2020 (during Corona lock down). A very nice interview with Sanne Mestom appeared in the Magazine “Klankwijzer” by KNMO (Umbrella organization for amateur musicians). Author: Frank Vergoossen, Photos: Frank Steijns and Marcel van Hoorn. Click HERE to read the interview in the Harmony Parlor.

Here Sanne shows us her vocal talents with the Christmas Hippo song (from 1953 Gayla Peevey: I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas).

September 2021. Nice article in aMagazine by Adam’s Music Center. Author: Ludo Diels. Photos: Hugo Thomassen. Styling/hair/make-up: AgAtelier. Click HERE to read the article in the Harmony Parlor blogspot.