Welcome to the website of the

Palm Music Foundation

The foundation was incorporated in 2008 to promote Dutch Antillean music and in particular the music of Jan Gerard Palm, one of the Caribbean's most prominent 19th century composers. He is often referred to as the "Father of Curaçao's classical music. Recently attention was also paid to other members of the Palm family such als Jan Gerard Palm's grandchildren Rudolf Th. Palm and Jacobo Palm.

Activites started on November 1, 2008 with a pianorecital in The Hague and was attended by Queen Beatrix and many dignitaries as well as 88 descendants of Jan Gerard Palm. Robert A. Rojer, a great great grandchild of the composer, played a selection of his works which also have been released on CD. After the recital the Queen was presented with the CD and the newly issued book on the life and works of Jan Gerard Palm.

The CD was sponsored by the S.E.L. Madurostichting and for sale in Curaçao but can also be ordered by transferring an amount of 18.00 euro to the Dutch bankaccount 5384222 (IBAN: NL58INGB0005384222 and BIC: INGBNL2A) of the Palm Music Foundation, Boslaan 20, 1217 CV te Hilversum, stating "CD-JGPalm" and the full address for delivering the CD. The CD comes together with a booklet, describing the music of Jan Gerard Palm.

The book: "Jan Gerard Palm, Leven en werk van een muzikale patriarch op Curaçao" (Jan Gerard Palm, life and work of a musical patriarch in Curaçao) is written in Dutch by Johannes I.M. Halman and Robert A. Rojer, and published by KITLV in Leiden (2008). ISBN 978 90 6718 333 8. The book comes with the CD. The price is 30 euro and can be ordered at the usual bookstores or on the website of the publisher (www.kitlv.nl).

A number of 115 compositions written by Jan Gerard Palm has been published by Broekmans & Van Poppel with the title Music Scores of Jan Gerard Palm containing Waltzes, Mazurkas, Tumbas, Polkas, Marches, etc. for Piano Solo, Violin-Piano, Voice-Piano and Organ.

At the end of 2009 recordings were made for a CD with compositions made by Jan Gerard Palm and played by The Johan Willem Friso Royal Military Band in Assen and conducted by Arnold Span. The CD contains a selection of the music Jan Gerard Palm wrote for the citizens' guard orchestra on Curaçao. The CD comes with an extensive booklet.
The CD can be ordered by transferring an amount of 18.00 euro to the Dutch bankaccount 5384222 (IBAN: NL58INGB0005384222 and BIC: INGBNL2A)of the Palm Music Foundation, Boslaan 20, 1217 CV te Hilversum, stating "CD-Johan Willem Friso" and the full address for delivering the CD.
The CD was officially presented in 2010 at a spring concert organised by the Palm Music Foundation in the Concordia Theater in Enschede with a program of Caribbean classic composers from the 18th and 19th century. Mariana Hutchinson Siemers (violin) and Maureen Wong (piano) played compositions of José White Lafitte (1836-1918) from Cuba, Joseph Boulogne, le Chevalier de Saint-George (1739-1799) the "Black Mozart" from Guadeloupe, the "Cuban Dutchman" Hubert de Blanck (1856-1932) and, of course, Jan Gerard Palm (1831-1906) from Curaçao. See for details the program of the concert.
The CD is for sale at the local music and book stores in Curaçao.

In 2010 all the compositions made by Rudolf Th. Palm (1880-1950) were digitized. In 2011 a number of 75 compositions for piano were made available by Donemus,followed by 21 songs and a CD with his piano music played by Robert Rojer. The CD can be ordered by transferring an amount of 18.00 euro to the Dutch bankaccount 5384222 (IBAN: NL58INGB0005384222 and BIC: INGBNL2A) of the Palm Music Foundation, Boslaan 20, 1217 CV te Hilversum, stating "CD-Rudolf Palm" and the full address for delivering the CD.

Also available is a publication of the composer Jacobo Palm (1887-1982) with his "Obras de Jacobo Palm, Album para piano" with 66 compositions for piano and a CD with 17 of his original recordings. This CD can be ordered by transferring an amount of 17.90 euro to the Dutch bankaccount 5384222 (IBAN: NL58INGB0005384222 and BIC: INGBNL2A) in the name of the Palm Music Foundation, Boslaan 20, 1217 CV te Hilversum, stating "CD-Jacobo Palm" and the full address for delivering the CD.