Willeke Smits | Organ

Performer

Willeke Smits (Leiden)

Program

“Easter and Pentecost in one day”

• Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
  Fantasia and Fugue in G
• Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
  Sarabande for the morning of Easter
• Arvo Pärt (*1935)
  Trivium
• Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
  l’Ascension
  – I Majesté du Christ demandant sa gloire à son Père
  – II Alleluias sereins d’une âme qui désire le ciel
  – III Transports de joie d’une âme devant la glory du Christ qui est la sieenne
  – IV Prière du Christ montant vers son Père
• Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
  Choral variation on the theme of “Veni Creator”

About the performer

Willeke Smits is organist at the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden. She is the regular player of the monumental De Swart-Van Hagerbeer organ and the late 19th century Father-Willis organ. She is also the regular accompanist of the Leiden Cantorij conducted by Hans Brons.
Until mid-2018, Willeke was cantor-organist of the Tuindorpkerk in Utrecht, where she played the monumental Ruprecht organ of the Tuindorpkerk.

Willeke is active as an ambassador of the organ as a concert organist at home and abroad, in which a challenging programming that is based on the character of the instrument is central. In addition, she is active as a teacher and musical coach for young and old, where the path to musical playing pleasure is the goal. Willeke was a member of the editorial board of ‘Psalmen anders’, a supplement to the Liedboek Zingen en bidden in huis en kerk, which was published in 2022. Melodies of some of these newly edited psalms are hers. In the first episode of the successful EO podcast ‘Alle registers open’ she was heard with her musical life story. Her music is regularly heard on NPO Klassiek and the Concertzender.

Since 2024, Willeke has been a member of the Steering Committee of the Northern European Cathedrals Conference, where professionals and stakeholders within Northern European cathedrals and large inner-city churches meet and enter into dialogue.