The Old Masters: Art Treasures of Holland by River

Kees Grandia was born and raised in the city of Rotterdam. He received a teaching certificate in Dutch and English at the teachers training college in Delft and studied history at the University of Leiden and the University of Texas in Austin. In 1999, he returned to education at the Albeda College as a teacher of Dutch to immigrants. Kees currently works as an educational manager with Albeda College in Rotterdam. He enjoys a game of tennis, loves opera, and is interested in American politics.

Jane Choy-Thurlow earned a B.S. from Salem State University and an M.Ed. from Trinity College Dublin, and studied history and art history at Leiden University, the Haagse Hogeschool, and the Volks University. She is a docent at the Mauritshuis, and enjoys sharing the treasures of this museum. Jane is chair of the Mainland Europe National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, and has worked for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Center of Educational Research and Innovation in Paris.

Jan Vijftigschild is a certified leader with an M.A. from the Academy for Teachers in Art. Before working in marketing and public relations, Jan taught art at the university level. Combining his experience, he became an informer in the field of natural stone for 10 years. Eventually, he returned to school and received his English Language Certificate Academic Level. Having returned to teaching, he lectures about art and water issues in the Netherlands on ships with visitors coming to the Netherlands.

Tosca van Diest decided at the age of 32, after years of studying languages, to apply to an art academy. She graduated in 1996 with a focus on ceramics and graphic arts. Since then, she has been working in her studio in conjunction with other occupations. In 2001, she started leading groups at the Kröller-Müller Museum where she gets to share her passion for art and introduce art to those who might not be familiar with it. Tosca speaks fluent Dutch and English.

Karline Vandenbroeke was born and raised in Belgium and moved to the Netherlands in 1992. She attended university in Ghent, earning a degree in translation (English and Spanish). After working in international customer service, she decided to change paths in 2015 and became a group leader. Apart from leading for Road Scholar, she works as a trained city expert and takes groups on day trips such as city walks, museum visits, and other attractions in The Netherlands. She likes traveling, museums, novels, hiking, and biking.