The Princess Christina Concours, a prestigious Dutch competition for young musicians, will name one of its awards for young and talented musicians after Maarten Oomes, a 19-year-old medical student at Erasmus MC, who passed away during the Eureka Week.
The student, who grew up in Hoogeveen, was a very gifted guitar player. At age 11, he won the National Guitar Awards (RTV Drenthe devoted a TV report to it at the time). At age 16, he won the 15-19 age category at the Concours.
Active at MFVR
In addition, Oomes was an active member of MFVR, the study society for medical students at Erasmus University’s Faculty of Medicine. “He was highly engaged and served on a lot of committees,” said the President of the society, Andries van Vliet.
“Dear Maarten, you touched many people’s hearts,” MFVR members wrote in the faculty’s In Memoriam. “The grief we feel due to your loss is indescribable. We would have loved to spend many more years with you. We miss you immensely.” On Friday, some eighty students will take a bus to the funeral.
Oomes passed away last week in his home in Capelle aan den IJssel, where he lived with his brother. Earlier in that week, he had served as a guide to new students at Eureka Week. At the Night of the Songs that closed off the week, a minute’s silence was observed to commemorate Oomes.
