1. Kees van Eersel

2. Life
     Musical Education    Personal life  

3. Work
     Organist    Composer    Choirmaster    Carillonneur    Discography    Prizes and Awards  

4. External links

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Kees van Eersel

Kees (birthname: Cornelis) van Eersel (Vlaardingen, 15 augustus 1944) is a Dutch organist, composer, choirmaster, conductor, carilloneur and organ teacher.  

Life

Musical Education

Kees van Eersel received his first organ lessons in the early 1950’ies, from Gijs de Graaf, then organist of the Grote kerk in Vlaardingen.

From 1960 to 1971, he studied (with a few interuptions) organ at the Rotterdam Conservatoire.

Studying under Piet van den Kerhoff, he obtained his teacher’s degree level B in 1965. Under George Stam he obtained his leaving certificate for solo play, with an endorsement for improvisation, and in 1971, under André Verwoerd, he was awarded with the Prize of Excellence. During this period, he also studied choir conducting under George Stam, with minors in singing (under Cees Touwen) and violin (under Mrs De Monchy-Kuiper), composition under Otto Ketting, and another major, piano, under Bart Berman.

In the first semster of 1969, he studied at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, under Jean Langlais, where he was awarded with he Prix de Virtuosité with the distinction “Maximum”.

After his appointment as organist and choir-master of the Grote of Maria Magdalenakerk inGoes, he studied church music at the Utrecht Conservatoire during the 1975-1976 academic year: choir mastery under Klaas Venneker, liturgics and hymnology under Maarten Kooij, ecclesiastic organ playing under Jan Welmers, and singing under Rom Kalma. At the end of this period, he obtained his degrees for church choir conducting and ecclesiastical organ playing.

In addition, he studied carillon at the Nederlandse Beiaardschool in Amersfoort under Leen ’t Hart and Peter Bakker. In 1977 he obtained his practical degree in carillon playing, and in 1978 his leaving degree in carillon playing. Both with an endorsement for improvisation.

Personal life

Kees van Eersel has been married twice, once divorced. He has one daughter from his first marriage.

Work

Organist

Kees van Eersel was appointed organist:

• From 15 November 1959 until 14 December 1961, during the afternoon services in the Hendrik de Cockschool (reformed) in Vlaardingen-West.
• From 14 December 1961 until 31 July 1965 in the Maranatha Church (Reformed) in Vlaardingen, appointed after a comparative trial performance.
• From 1 August 1st 1965 through 31 March 1967 in the Maranatha Church (Reformed) in Rotterdam-Overschie, appointed after a comparative trial performance. During this appointment, he also conducted the Reformed Church Choir.
• From 1 October 1967 until 30 November 1974 in the Oude Kerk (Dutch Reformed)in Rotterdam-Delfshaven, appointed after a comparative trial performance. There was a short break in 1969 because of his organ studies in Paris.
• From 1 December 1974 until 14 August 2009 in the Grote of Maria Magdalenakerk in Goes (Dutch Reformed), oppointed as arganist after a comparative trial performance. After he founded the Maria Magdalena-church choir, he was appointed organist and choirmaster of the Grote of Maria Magdalenakerk.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, Kees van Eersel held administrative positions witin the K.N.O.V., national as well as provincial (in Rotterdam as secretary, in Zeeland as president). He was a member of the Committee for Church Music within the cooperation council for worship, for ten years, eight of which serving as a secretary. Additionally, he was a member of the Landelijke Hervormde Orgelcommissie (the National Reformed Organ Committee). Until his retirement, Kees van Eersel also had the job of organising the church concerts in the Grote of Mariakerk in Goes.

Since the start of his career, Kees van Eersel has given countless organ concerts in The Netherlands and abroad, in places such as St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Chester Cathedral (Chester, UK), RigaCathedral in Latvia, de Cathedrals of Antwerp, Gent and Vannes, the Fort Church in Curaçao and also in Paris, elsewhere in France, Norway, Switzerland and Austria.

Several recordings of his playing have been made for radio, TV and more recently Youtube. He has also recorded a number of records, CDs and DVDs.

His better known students are Jan van Hagen (currently the organist of St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht) and Jaco van Leeuwen (currently the organist in the Grote of Sint Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk.)

Composer

Van Eersel has composed music for organ, choir and various combinations of vocals and accompanying instruments, both commissioned and by his own initiative. One of his most important commissioned works is the “Symphonisch Gedicht Geen Dierder Plek”, a composition on the Zeeuws Anthem, commissioned by the Province of Zeeland, in 1984. More recent commissions were, among others, for the musical ensemble Il Canto Die Rame (in 2014) and for the Dutch, nationally held Ambitus Organ Competion (2016/2017), and two compositions for the Govert van Wijn Organ competition in Maassluis (2017).

His style of composing is characterised in particular by its great diversity, both in form and in idiom,from baroque to im- and expressionism. Especially English composers from the 20th century have formed a big influence on his work. His artistic decisions depend on the purpose for which the composition is created. Van Eersel’s organ improvisations are usually in a modern style, however, every now and then he enjoys improvising in the style of early music.