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Born: January 2, 1930 - Woerden, the Netherelands,
Died: June 24, 2017 - Peize, the Netherelands |
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The Dutch organist, Wim van Beek, received the final diploma from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag (Royal Conservatory in The Hague) with distinction. His teachers included Adriaan Engels for organ and Theo van der Pas for piano.
Wim van Beek began his career at the Bätz organ in the Willemskerk in The Hague. Subsequently he was appointed in the Martinikerk in Groningen in 1956, where he was the permanent organist of the Schnitger-Hinsz organ for sixty years. When Jürgen Ahrend restored and reconstructed that instrument for a long time, Van Beek was also organist of the Hague's Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk from 1971 to 1984, as the successor to his tutor Adriaan Engels. Together with Engels, in 1971 he gave the dedication concert of the then new Metzler organ in that church.
Wim van Beek had an international concert career and made many CD recordings of early music in the Martinikerk, both on the main organ and on the Le Picard choir organ. In addition, CD's were released with the house organ of the Antoniuskerk in Kantens, the Hinsz organ of the Petruskerk in Leens, the Schnitger organ of the Jacobikerk in Uithuizen and the Marcussen organ in the Roskilde cathedral. His J.S. Bach and Dietrich Buxtehude interpretations were highly respected, but his repertoire also reached contemporary music.
Wim van Beek was also a lecturer at the Stedelijk Conservatorium (Municipal Conservatory) in Groningen and the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag. Many of his students became well-known organists, including Christiaan Ingelse, Theo Jellema, Erwin Wiersinga, Piet Wiersma, Leen de Broekert, Arjan Breukhoven, Peter Adriaansz, Gerrit Stulp, Jan Welmers, Ronald de Jong, Ab Weegenaar, Stef Tuinstra, Sietze de Vries and Liuwe Tamminga.
Towards the end of 2016 Wim van Beek stopped his activity as an organist for health reasons. He died in June 2017 at the age of 87. |
