Nico Sieffers from Meppel passed away yesterday. Sieffers was a well-known face in the world of harmony, fanfares and brass bands and presented the Radio Drenthe program Music Profile.
Nico Sieffers turned 76 years old.
Sieffers followed several studies at the conservatory in Zwolle, namely school music and choral and orchestral conducting. As a music pedagogue, he worked on innovation in music education. He worked as a freelancer at RTV Drenthe from the end of 2007.
In 1987 he was also the founder of the Drenthe Youth Orchestra (DJO), of which he was also conductor for a long time. As artistic director of the DJO, he was involved in, among other things, the duo concert with farmer’s rock formation Mooi Wark, which was given in 2011.
Sieffers was not only committed to music for children, but he also inspired the elderly. For example, he was conductor of the Drenthe Senior Orchestra.
During his musical career, Sieffers has received several awards. In April 2020, he was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau for everything he has done for the music world.
In 2015 he already received the Hein Boerwinkel Cultural Prize for his major contribution to the musical development of young people in Meppel and the rest of Drenthe. The jury chairman said about him at the time that ‘Sieffers had succeeded in moving music from the music schools to the schools, so that more children are eligible for music’.
Sieffers was not only active in the music world, but he was also strongly committed to foundations in Meppel that are related to the commemoration of Jews. For example, he was still chairman of the Meppel Memorial Stones Foundation, which placed the Stolpersteine in the city.
Sieffers was also chairman of the Meppel Jewish Heritage Foundation, which aims to maintain the Jewish cemetery in Meppel.