I recently had the good fortune of celebrating 30 years as organist/music director at my church. In honor of the occasion, I was granted a 6-week sabbatical. Having never taken a sabbatical or played an organ outside of the United States, I decided to combine the two and do some kind of educational organ tour in Europe, preferably German or Dutch.
Although I’ve been to Europe many times as a tourist, I’d only seen these magnificent instruments from afar. It was a great idea, but I quickly discovered how complex it would become to execute. I had no contacts and only a minimal grasp of the language — not a lot of leverage to convince unknown church musicians they should let me spend a couple of hours on their historic instruments.
The solution to my quest came with one person, Johan Stolk of Dutch Organ Tours. Within a few emails, Johan designed the trip of a lifetime, including hotels, local transportation, and several meals. Ultimately, I played 51 Dutch organs within 28 days, mostly historical, including builders Schnitger, Hinsz and many others. Johan picked me up at the hotel every morning and drove us to the venues. Johan has an encyclopedic knowledge of Dutch organ building and our car rides were so informative.
At each venue we were met by renowned Dutch organists such as Sietze de Vries (Martinikerk, Groningen) , Rien Donkersloot (Sint Joriskerk, Amersfoort) for a demonstration, then I had 90 minutes to explore the instruments on my own, with registrants available as needed. There is an incredible organ museum in Elburg, complete with a mini-concert hall and 3 manual organ open for guests to play. I visited the workshops of Flentrop and Reil, and had lunches in countryside museums with 18th century house organs.
The trip culminated at St. Bavokerk in Haarlem (after climbing 300 feet up to the tower), sitting in the carillon tower, watching Rien Donkersloot play a carillon recital. I ended my time on the famous Christian Muller organ by playing the St. Anne, complete with 32’ Bazuin at the end of the fugue. It doesn’t get any better.
The purpose of this article is simply informative, thinking someone else may have the same dream and wondering how to pursue it. Johan can be reached at info@dutchorgantours.nl.
Joe Guthrie, First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, CA
USA
“The itineraries composed by Dutch Organ Tours offer a fascinating insight to the history and tonal world of organs in the Netherlands.”
Jangoo Chapkhana Australia
”Just finished an amazing tour of 17 historic Dutch organs in 5 days!! If you love to play early Dutch and North German organ music, there is nothing like experiencing the sounds and feel of these instruments. Johan Stolk of Dutch Organ Tours was a wonderful & knowledgeable guide with access to most of the important instruments in Holland. He has a group tour during the Summer or can organize a private tour of any length from 1 day to something like mine which was pretty intense. The organists he brought along to demonstrate the organs each day were top-notch and very helpful in registering while I played. ”
Paul Blanchard – October 2023
”The opportunity to see, hear and play many Dutch organs was completely enlightening. It’s incredibly inspiring to witness how the commitment of organists, historians and funding agencies has resulted in the preservation and protection of these historic gems, from the smallest to the largest. I’m so grateful to the people of Dutch Organ Tours for their dedication and passion, which came through during their explanations and demonstrations of the organs, and the extension of hospitality in their beautiful country.”
Rev. David Clyle Morse, Minister of Music St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Boynton Beach, Florida, USA
