Five diverse concerts by renowned musicians on the famous Bätz organ
The annual Organ Festival will take place in the Lutheran Church in The Hague from 24 May. On five consecutive Saturdays, renowned musicians from home and abroad will perform their own programme on the famous Bätz organ from 1762.
‘House organist’ Sander van den Houten and Aarnoud de Groen will perform the opening concert, including a spectacular four-hand arrangement of Ravel’s Boléro. The following Saturdays, the audience can enjoy the playing of young London organist Matthew Jorysz, the ‘Bachnach’ by Sander van den Houten, master pianist Hannes Minnaar, who is also an excellent organist, and finally Geerten Liefting, who will provide musical accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s silent film ‘The Kid’.
Program
May 24 | 3:30 PM |
House organist Sander van den Houten and Hague organist Aarnoud de Groen will open the festival with works by Tchaikovsky, Bach, Piet Kee and Lieuwe H. de Jong, among others. They will also play a four-hand arrangement of Ravel’s Bolero.
Sander van den Houten (1987) was appointed organist of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in The Hague in 2017. In Kampen he is the titular organist of the Burgwalkerk and the Broederkerk. In 2013 he obtained his master’s degree in organ with Theo Jellema at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle with honors. In 2023 he graduated from the Carillon School in Amersfoort. He is a conductor of choirs in Kampen, Zwolle and Epe. He is also cantor of the Theological University of Kampen.
Aarnoud de Groen (The Hague, 1971) studied with Rienk Jiskoot at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He then continued his studies with Ben van Oosten. In 1990 he was appointed organist of the Julianakerk in The Hague. When this church was withdrawn from worship in 1997, Aarnoud moved to the Bethlehemkerk in The Hague, where he still plays the Vierdag organ to this day. He regularly gives concerts, solo and also as an accompanist for soloists and choirs. Aarnoud is the permanent accompanist of the Christian Residentie Men’s Choir and the Westland Choir Association Musica.
May 31 | 3:30 PM | Matthew Jorysz
Matthew Jorysz (1992) has been organist at Westminster Abbey in London since September 2024. He is responsible for playing the organ during services, accompanying the Abbey Choir for concerts, recordings and broadcasts, and is deputy conductor of the choir.
He was previously Assistant Organist from 2016. In 2022 he played at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and in 2023 he played at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla, performing with the Monteverdi Choir and the Coronation Orchestra, and premiering Iain Farrington’s Voices of the World, a solo organ work commissioned for the coronation. In addition to his work at the Abbey, Matthew performs regularly throughout the UK and internationally. He is also a pianist and chamber musician, working primarily with singers.
This Saturday he will play works by Bach, Herbert Howells, Henry Purcell, Handel and Mendelssohn on the Bätz organ.
June 7 | 21:38 | Bachnach | Sander van den Houten
The Bachnach is a recurring part of the Organ Festival in the Lutheran Church. Titular organist of the Lutheran Church, Sander van den Houten (see above) will perform a program this evening that consists entirely of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The starting time this time is 21:38 and this is a reference to the name Bach: the B is the 2nd letter of the alphabet, the A the 1st, etc.
June 14 | 15:30 | Hannes Minnaar
“ The perhaps best pianist in the Netherlands could also have an international career on the organ .” – de Volkskrant, 2022
Hannes Minnaar is one of the most successful Dutch pianists. He performs frequently in the Netherlands and abroad with a wide repertoire that ranges from Bach to contemporary music. He has performed as a soloist with almost all Dutch orchestras. He has won prizes at international competitions and was awarded the Dutch Music Prize in 2016. He also has a passion for chamber music and has been the pianist of the Van Baerle Trio since its foundation in 2004. His CD recordings have received international critical acclaim and have been awarded two Edisons.
In addition to his piano studies with Jan Wijn, he also studied organ with Jacques van Oortmerssen. He has been giving occasional organ concerts for several years. A special opportunity to hear him play the Bätz organ this afternoon. He will perform various works by Bach and the Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” by Franz Liszt.June 21 | 15:30 | Geerten Liefting – Organ and film
In this closing concert of the Organ Festival, Geerten Liefting will provide musical accompaniment to the silent film ‘The Kid’ on the Bätz organ. ‘The Kid’ is a comedy-drama film from 1921, written, produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin, who also plays the leading role. This was Chaplin’s first feature film as a director. ‘The Kid’ is still considered one of the best productions from the silent film era.
Geerten Liefting (Nijkerk, 1983) studied organ, church music, improvisation, composition and choir conducting at the Conservatories of Utrecht, Antwerp and Rotterdam with Reitze Smits, Wim Henderickx, Luc van Hove and Wiecher Mandemaker, among others. He also studied improvisation with Hayo Boerema and Cor Ardesch and composition with Peter Jan Wagemans. Since August 2007, Geerten has been conductor-organist of the Heilige Bonaventura in Woerden and assistant organist of the Grote of St. Laurenskerk in Rotterdam and vesper organist of the Domkerk in Utrecht. As an organist, he has won first and second prizes at various major international competitions. He has performed in productions of, for example, Festival Voor de Wind, Culturele Caravaan and has provided major productions with choirs such as the Laurenscantorij, the Ribatutta Ensemble and the Nederlands Blazersensemble. Geerten gives many concerts and composes for various ensembles.
Full programme Organ Festival 2025
In the program booklet ( downloadable here as a PDF) (in Dutch) you can read a complete overview of all the works performed at the Organ Festival.
| Organ Festival Lutheran Church The Hague Saturday 24 and 31 May and Saturday 7, 14 and 21 June. Starts at 3:30 PM, except on June 7, the Bachnach, starts at 9:38 PM. Lutheran Church | Lutherse Burgwal 7-9, The Hague Entrance € 10,- | free for children up to 15 years Ticket sales before the start of the concert at the door of the church https://luthersdenhaag.nl/scmlk/ |
