
Sara Crombach (born in the Netherlands in 1966) started playing the piano at the age of seven. At an early age she realized that music is the most universal language, and as such able to build bridges, and to communicate at a level that goes beyond the possibilities of other languages. She decided to study piano, at the Amsterdam Sweelinck Conservatory, and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Naum Grubert, where she graduated in 1991. She gives concerts in many European countries, both as a soloist and in chamber music.
Motivated by a keen interest in the music, literature and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union, she decided to study Russian, as well as East European studies at the University of Amsterdam.
After spending time in Russia and the Caucasus, where she worked with refugees from Nagornyi Karabakh, the realization dawned on her that getting to the bottom of this kind of ethnic conflict can be crucial in contributing to better mutual understanding. This awareness was the catalyst to devote her PhD research to the impact of history-writing on politics, myth-making and nation-building and, ultimately, accompanying conflicts.
To this day, Sara Crombach frequently gives concerts, and concert lectures with a focus on music from the former Soviet Union, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Eastern Europe and Turkey. She works as a lecturer at the Department of East European Studies at the University of Amsterdam.
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