Lex Sip, architect, has a close relationship with the Residentie Orkest. "My partner and I have gone to concerts very often for 52 years. That started when the Residentie Orkest was still playing in the Kurhaus, with conductor Willem van Otterloo. We moved along to the Nederlands Congresgebouw, later to the Anton Philipszaal and to the Zuiderstrandtheater."

You included Residentie Orkest in your estate. Why?

"My partner passed away a few years ago. There are no children to leave anything to, but there is a legacy, which I want to give a good use. Culture has always given us a lot of pleasure and inspiration. I would like to pass something of that on.

More than half a century of concert attendance at the Residentie Orkest; that creates a bond. That's why I started talking to the orchestra about bequeathing to it, and the possibility of a named fund. I think cultural education for children is very important. It has become very thin in schools. Children should be able to get acquainted with art, with classical music, without fear or obligation. That used to be a matter of course, because it was part of regular education. Fortunately, Residentie Orkest does a lot of education, from rehearsal visits to lessons on musical instruments, and there is even a student orchestra, The Residents. 

Because my partner and I once met at the Gemeentemuseum, I have already established a named fund there. The nice thing about such a fund is that you still experience its deployment yourself. I get involved in their plans every year."

Do you play an instrument yourself?

"I started playing the piano when I was eight; I still do. I regularly buy scores that I can't actually play, for example Rachmaninov's third piano concerto. Discovering how such a work is put together is something I really enjoy. 

And I've been singing in a choir for a few years now. Some choir members also play the piano, occasionally we play quatre mains. Making music is the most fun there is! The nice thing about music as an art form is that it constitutes a purely abstract experience, and thus is strictly personal. That attracts me very much."

Do you still go to concerts of the RO?

"I now have a passe partout for the fourth year in a row, and still for two tickets, so I take someone with me as often as possible. It's often someone who wouldn't go to a classical concert by themselves. And often that person is left wanting more. I enjoy listening to music on YouTube and comparing performances. That is fascinating, but it also has a narrowing effect because it quickly becomes fragmentary. For me, nothing beats the experience of music in the Concert Hall. a whole evening full of it!"