Team

Composer/pianist Marion von Tilzer is an intriguing musician, in particular, due to her talent for merging completely different styles and art genres in a surprising and original way.

Her synthesis of Indian classical music with contemporary western music has led to collaborations with musicians, choreographers and filmmakers from all over the world, as a composer and performer with her own groups.

Her projects have been labeled stunning, fascinating and accessible at the same time. Her current project is a series of cross-cultural interdisciplinary art projects is called ‘Meetings with Remarkable Women – music inspired by women’s lives’. The second project of the series ‘Into Eternity’ was presented as a concert and album in Amsterdam in the spring of 2023. It is a tribute to Vilma Grunwald and is based on Vilma’s letter written moments before her death in Auschwitz.

Her album with cellist/vocalist Maya Fridman ‘Ten Songs of Change’ with Marion’s music and poetry from the Tang Dynasty inspired by the I Ching, the book of Changes. With this project they have an ongoing tour ‘Ten Songs of Change in Sacred Spaces’ which started off in July 2021 in The Netherlands.

In 2012 she won the first prize of the Donemus Composition Competition. Her piece ‘Die Verlassene Stadt’ an orchestral work was commissioned by the VU kamerorkest and is dedicated to the victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

In 2015 the album Secret Keymasters was released on Challenge Records together with fellow pianists Michael Gees & Frans Ehlhart with original compositions of all three musicians. Marion’s CD with her music written to the fairy tale ‘Das Verschenkte Weinen’ by W. Heiduczek was released by Buchfunk, as an Audiobook during the Leipzig Bookfare in March 2018.

Marion was commissioned to write two pieces for the Radio Symphony Orchestra of the Westdeutsche Rundfunk in Cologne, Germany. One of pieces was nominated for the Theodore Front Prize.

Other commissions include a composition for the city of Amsterdam, which was premiered in the renowned Concertgebouw Hall.

Marion von Tilzer studied piano at the Amsterdam Conservatory, where she lives with her daughter and their cat Snowy.

Text: Sander Hoving

Alexander Godschalk is an executive producer and project manager in the fields of art and culture.

Since 1993 I have developed and produced international exhibitions and art projects, including Marina Abramovic’s award‑winning “Balkan Baroque” at the 1997 Venice Biennial, Gelitin’s “Giant Pink Rabbit” (2005), the first three Moscow Biennales of Contemporary Art, several editions of Sonsbeek, Yoko Ono’s “Odyssey of the Cockroach”, Micol Assael’s “Fomuska” and MoBA’s “Fetishism in Fashion”.

Currently he is working on future projects such as 4 Bells for Freedom, Between Heaven & Earth, Folkestone Triennial and Palais de Tokyo.

One of his key qualities is mediating between organisers and artists, stimulating and supporting the creation of new artworks and site‑specific installations.

Over the years he has increasingly enjoyed producing projects in unconventional environments, where almost every aspect of an exhibition has to be invented from scratch.’

Tian is a cultural and event manager who is passionate about bridging cultures and connecting people through the power of music.
With a background as a professional singer, she later transitioned into cultural management and production while living and working in the US.

During her time there she co-produced concerts designed to foster exchange between the East and the West, such as the China tour of the off-Broadway musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, and the Sing for Peace concert series in Boston.

She actively contributed to community work, serving as the director of the largest Chinese professional gala in the New England region, where she managed large-scale logistics and stakeholder relations.

As a former award-winning singer in China, she also served as a judge for an international competition and as a vocal coach for The Voice of China.

Now based in the Netherlands, Tian continues to blend her hands-on practice with academic depth. Her recent research on audience development in Early Music was published in the De Musica Dissertanda (2025) journal.

She is delighted to contribute to the Marion von Tilzer Foundation and help bring its visionary projects to life.

Michele Azzu is a business strategist, musician, and activist who helps coaches, creative entrepreneurs, and music professionals build sustainable businesses, grow audiences, scale revenue and ultimately realize their vision.

With over 15 years of international experience across Italy, London, and global markets, he has supported clients—from BBC Radio and Spotify professionals to six-figure coaches and Grammy Academy members—in building thriving businesses through strategic positioning, marketing systems, and high-impact development.

A former award-winning journalist and social media strategist, Michele blends strategy, creativity, and a coaching approach to identify the highest-leverage opportunities for growth across business, marketing, and operations.

Alongside his work, he is a recognized performing musician under the name Zeus Michele, a published author in Italy, and an advocate for fair opportunities and sustainable income models in the music industry.

Lotus Vermeulen is a Creative Business student at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam with a strong passion for diversity and inclusion.

She is committed to using creativity and communication as tools to build more inclusive and representative spaces.

Alongside her studies, she works at the Marion von Tilzer Stichting, where she manages social media marketing and PR. There, she brings a fresh, young perspective to storytelling and believes in the power of digital platforms.

Driven, socially aware, and forward-thinking, Lotus aims to make inclusion not just a conversation, but a lived reality.