Arjan Breukhoven Explained

Karel Jan (Arjan) Breukhoven (Rotterdam, 18 May 1962) is a Dutch musician.

Education

Breukhoven started his musical training with Jan Brandwijk. He later studied principal professional organ and church music at the Royal Academy in the Hague with Wim van Beek and Bert Matter. He studied piano with Albert Brussee, and also singing, improvisation and choir direction. In this academy time he also got lessons from the French organist and pedagogue Gaston Litaize. He also attended choir and orchestra direction with professor Kurt Thomasstichting.

Performances

Breukhoven acts as a pianist, organist, soloist, as well as accompanying musician for soloists and choirs. He also works as a conductor. He has collaborated with a lot of other musicians like Ernst-Daniël Smid, Vicki Brown, Berdien Stenberg, Marco Bakker, Ben Cramer, Kamahl, Henk Poort, Marjolein Keuning, Margriet Eshuijs and Cor Bakker. He played with Louis van Dijk and Daniël Wayenberg, among others. In 2007 he celebrated his 25th year's jubilee as a musician by concerts with baritone Ernst-Daniël Smid and two concerts in Bruges' Church of Our Lady and Ghent's Saint Bavo and moreover with an organ concert on Garrels-orgel in the Great Church of Maassluis.

The largest organ which he ever played was a 127-voice organ at Saint Patrick' s basilica in the Australian city of Fremantle.

Activities

Breukhoven regularly gives concerts in the Netherlands, elsewhere on the continent and in Australia. He appeared on the EO programme "Nederland zingt" and is a regular guest on their radio programmes. He conducts three male choirs:

As a pianist and an organist he has developed his own style of improvisation, both in classic and in light recent development. He composes for choir, organs and other instruments. He is the organist of the reformed church of Berkel and Rodenrijs. He is frequently requested as organist at funeral ceremonies in the Netherlands.

Awards

Arjan Breukhoven received the silver honours in 2008 from the main board for church stewardship in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands for working as an organist in that church for more than 25 years.

Selected discography

He collaborated on more than 150 CD and DVD-records. A selection is shown below:

UitgaveSoortAlbum
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDSolofrom the basilica Saint Kunibert of Cologne
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDScherzofrom the Hervormde Dorpskerk of Berkel en Rodenrijs
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDSouvenirs from Europafrom the Heiliggeistkirche of Heidelberg (Germany)
STH Sacred Music CD 197096Organ CDArjan Breukhoven improvises part 1from the Evangelisch Lutherse Kerk at The Hague
STH Sacred Music CD 198078Organ CDArjan Breukhoven improvises part 2from the Bovenkerk of Kampen
STH Sacred Music CD 1400202Organ CDArjan Breukhoven improvises part 3from the Groote Kerk of Maassluis
STH Sacred Music CD 1402412Organ CDArjan Breukhoven improvises part 4from the Grote Kerk of Hasselt
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDArjan Breukhoven improvises over Christmas songs part 5from the Grote Kerk of Dordrecht
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDPsalmimprovisations
align="center" valign="top"-Organ CDArjan Breukhoven playing the Kam & van der Meulen organin the Grote Kerk of Dordrecht
STH Records CD 1401822Choir CDThis is my song deel 1with the Christelijk Mannenkoor Prins Alexander
STH Records CD 1405822Choir CDThis is my song deel 2wirth the Christelijk Mannenkoor Prins Alexander
CD HCM 200595Choir CDGelukkig is het landwith the Hollands Christelijk Mannenkoor
align="center" valign="top"-Choir CDDankt, dankt nu allen Godwith the Hollands Christelijk Mannenkoor
align="center" valign="top"-Choir CDZo lief, had God de wereldwith the Chr. Mannenkoor Prins Alexander and Hollands Chr. Mannenkoor
DHCD 9119Choir CDGroot Concert in Parijsfrom the Ste. Eustache of Paris
align="center" valign="top"-Choir CDGeef ons vrede1500 choir members from the Grote Kerk of Dordrecht
align="center" valign="top"-Choir CDArjan Breukhoven dirigeert Groot Mannenkoor bij Kaarslichtwith the Randstedelijk Mannenkoor, the Chr. Mannenkoor Prins Alexander and the Hollands Christelijk Mannenkoor
align="center" valign="top"-Verzamel CDIn het LichtJubilee CD
align="center" valign="top"-Verzamel CDImprovisations on Favourite Psalms and HymnsCD with organ improvisations from various churches
align="center" valign="top"-Zang CDSamenzang uit Parijsfrom the Ste. Eustache of Paris
align="center" valign="top"-Zang CDMelodiaFrom the Hervormde Dorpskerk of Berkel en Rodenrijs
align="center" valign="top"-Zang CDKom tot Mijfrom the Grote- of St. Maartenskerk of Tiel
align="center" valign="top"-Instrumental CDIk bouw op Ufrom the Grote- of St. Maartenskerk of Tiel
ICM CD 202001Instrumental CDFamous Instrumental Melodies part 1Arjan Breukhoven on the Seiler grand piano
ICM CD 202001Instrumental CDFamous Instrumental Melodies part 2Arjan Breukhoven on the Seiler grand piano
align="center" valign="top"-Instrumental CDMusica Religioso
align="center" valign="top"-DVDArjan Breukhoven in candlelight from the Groote Kerk of Maassluis
align="center" valign="top"-DVDImprovisationsfrom the Bovenkerk of Kampen
align="center" valign="top"-CDShalom IsraelMuzical pearls about Israël and Jeruzalem, with Martin Mans organ, Anja van der Maten hobo en Martin de Deugd violin

External links