In Memoriam Professor Frans de Ruiter

Former President and Honorary Member of the European Festivals Association (EFA).

Frans de Ruiter was president of the European Festivals Association (EFA) from 1989 – 2004. As Director of the Holland Festival, and founder of Utrecht Early Music Festival, he was an active member since 1977, when he joined the General Assembly and soon after the Executive Committee under the Presidency of Denis de Rougemont, founding president of EFA.

Frans was born in 1946 and at the time of his death was Emeritus Professor and former Director at the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA), the research institute he founded within the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University. He had been the leading figure in joining together the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the University of Leiden.

Frans studied musicology at Utrecht University and harpsichord at the Conservatory of the Muzieklyceum Society, in Amsterdam. In the following years he became director of the Holland Festival (1977-1985), was co-founder and director (from 1982 to 1994) of the Utrecht Early Music Festival, one of the world's most prestigious festivals in the genre. He was Director of the Royal Conservatoire from 1985-2006 and held several other academic positions.

Frans was also President of the UNESCO associated International Music Council in Paris (1997-2001 and 2009-2013), and President of the European House for Culture, an initiative of EFA, in Brussels. He played a crucial role in the life of many of Europe's cultural networks, whether in an official capacity or just as an encouraging voice.

In the last years, Frans was working on a book about his experience of 55 years in the cultural sector. Two short chapters have been published already in EFA’s Eye-to-Eye Magazine (The Dutch National Campaign for the Arts: Kunsten’92 and My first day…). Throughout his career, Frans was an ardent defender of the place of the arts in public life, continually arguing that support for the arts was an important duty of government. He challenged all those, whether in city, national or European politics, who regard the arts, and especially music, as peripheral to their responsibilities.

A tireless worker, who never came to a meeting without mastering the details, he formed and guided organisations with engagement, passion and wit. He thought as an artist but was also a brilliant administrator – a rare combination. Thanks to his intelligence and sensitivity, he inspired artists, invigorated festivals, and had an enormous influence on the progress of students and colleagues alike. He was a champion without whom the civilized world will be much poorer.